There have been several headline making articles about the city lately.
In terms of planning and development, the city is considering annexing vacant land at its northwestern gateway. The land currently lies within the town of Brookfield. I met with Dan Ertl, department head, in fall. At that time Ertl said the city does not actively solicit annexations (that is, it is not the aggressor). Evidently, though, this additional property would make that portion of the "city's gateway" more viable.
The newly proposed gateway building at the corner of Moorland and Gateway has an overly large footprint. It has little green space. Kyle Prast has effectively shown the size of the footprint by overlaying various buildings on the GPS map of the building site.
Mayor Speaker has objected to having the donated art work displayed in front of the library along Calhoun Road. The art work is currently placed behind the library where no one can enjoy it. Speaker's concerned about the "some" people who may not approve or appreciate the art.
He has also raised the perennial concerns about the level of service provided by the county's centralized dispatch system.
Last week, in an unusual gesture, the mayor proposed that the city share more of the cost to widen all of Greenfield Road. There is a half-mile stretch west of Brookfield Road that narrows to two lanes. This section of the road is along the Town of Brookfield. It wasn't widened because the town felt the cost-sharing the state had proposed was disproportionate.
Speaker's rationale for kicking in more? Alleviating potential accidents at the narrowed section and a more equitable cost-share. At the time the state apparently included land the city had annexed from the town! City aldermen rejected Speaker's proposal.
