Sunday, June 21, 2009

Leave The Lakefront Alone

I received the following email letter the other day. It is the author's view, in light of the recent giveaway of the county grounds to the private developers and UWM, and the possible sale of the lakefront property to the same people. It is reprinted here with the author's expressed permission:

To; Milwaukee county citizens, Mayor Tom Barrett, Co Exec.Scott Walker, Wauwatosa mayor Jill Didier and Supervisor Schmitt, Milwaukee County supervisors, UWM officials, Milwaukee Harbor commission, and other decision makers for Milwaukee County/Lakefront lands;

I have concerns about what Milwaukee county has done this May in voting to sell the County Grounds in Wauwatosa, and about the potential sale of the lakefront restaurant property.

The lakefront property is off limits in my book. I have enjoyed many afternoons on the patio of the restaurant there, with the fantastic view of the Calatrava and the Milwaukee skyline. I loved the the opennes and closeness to the water below you, the availability of a drink or a snack, and to sit on a nice patio by the fire pits. All this can be enjoyed without being on the water in a boat, which most citizens can't do. It is a prime space for the public’s enjoyment of the lake, whether it has a restaurant or a cafĂ© with patio, or a picnic site.

There have been alternative sites suggested for the planned UWM water institute, and they should be investigated further. It appears that the county has not done this homework yet.

Milwaukee County also hasn’t done much homework before their vote to sell the county grounds in Wauwatosa. Ironically, Milwaukee supervisors decided to sell off this piece of natural area at a time the city of Milwaukee declared May as "Project Evergreen month" to raise public awareness of preserving and expanding green spaces!

I have been aware of the Monarch Butterfly habitat on the Milwaukee county grounds as a sensitive and rare phenomenon, and recently walked through these fields. I am appalled at what our leaders are planning to do with it. Before agreeing to UWM’s plans, and to allow a mere 200 foot zone for the Monarchs, there should have been some type of Environmental Impact Assessment done to determine the cumulative effects of the development on these lands. I don’t believe this has been sufficiently researched.

It is understandable why the UWM leadership covets this land; the views are fantastic there. I wonder if any of the County decision makers ever visited and witnessed this site. From my observation, this is one of the most premiere views you can find in Milwaukee County! Why in the world are our officials giving this away?

The area is on high, rolling hills, and the view from there is breathtaking in almost all directions (except the sooty WE smokestacks to the SE). With the right planning and care, this site could be a beautiful natural area rivaling Whitnall Park/Wehr nature preserve. You have the rolling hills where you can stand on the highest point and have a great view of the city below you, and there’s a valley surrounded by hills where you see nothing but nature and sky with the sounds of the abundant chirping birds. It makes you think you’re in some countryside, rather than in the middle of Milwaukee County. It is a healing area to visit even with the lack of maintenance now (mowed down vegetation, rutted runoffs, unsightly detention pond, hard to find trails).

Combine this potential nature preserve with the sight of hundreds of Monarch butterflies, and you have one of the most unique lands in SE Wisconsin; so, why are you taking this away from us?

The historic Eschweiler buildings are also a gem and should be restored for a combination nature center, visitor center, nature store, historical site, with gardens, museum, and other environmental education and recreation use (similar to the Whitnall Park/Wehr nature centers). It should be enjoyed by all, and not surrounded by sprawling university buildings and private businesses.

I also suggest that the areas around the detention ponds to the NE should be improved to be more aesthetically pleasing, with trails and parking off Swan blvd. There should be improvements done along the natural runoffs amongst these hills between the ponds and the County Parks building, to retard erosion (boulders, vegetation, etc), and establish trails where area residents already enjoy walking. I have seen photos of how beautiful this area used to look before the County began mowing it down. It should be naturally restored to be used by us, the public.

Presently, the footprint of this planned UWM construction is oversized for said needs. Again, the best parts of this county land should be maintained as a natural site for birds, butterflies, wildflowers, trees, gardens, tall grass prairie, and people (see Wehr nature center for similar landscapes). Then, if there is land left over, that is what should be sold.

If not, I suggest that at the least language should be put into Wauwatosa’s zoning plans that will preserve the butterfly migration corridor and put the 56 acres that is supposed to be preserved as open space, into a Land Conservancy zoning, to preserve it in perpetuity.

In fact, I strongly suggest that the county and UWM get back to the drawing board and reconsider the most underused, wasted site in the county; the downtown seagull hangout called the Park East corridor, or consider the empty area near MSOE, bounded by Milwaukee, Knapp and Water streets.

If UWM would build its Engineering campus downtown, it will be able to collaborate with Milwaukee School of Engineering nearby (logical), and with MATC, and there would be no need to add restaurants since there are plenty of establishments within walking distance along popular Water Street and Old World Third Street. It also would be considerably closer and more accessible to the main UWM campus (also logical).

It appears to me that the leadership at UWM is more interested in high profile and status, by buying up the most premiere sites in Milwaukee and the lakefront, rather than using practicality and social responsibility; and the Milwaukee county officials, not counting the four supervisors who voted against, are more interested in the proceeds of the quick sale of the lands to compensate for budget shortfalls of past fiscal mistakes, and for an easy way out of the responsibility for the deteriorated Eschweiler buildings.

It is irresponsible to not even study the alternatives. My taxes have been paying Milwaukee officials’ salaries, and I insist they earn it now, instead of complaining about how long they’ve spent negotiating, or how much time it took to read the many letters about the issue. To me, as a taxpayer, this decision is shortsighted, hasty, and completely unacceptable.

We have this under-recognized gem within our county, and I am against selling off the best parts of it for development. Please remember that this is also OUR piece of paradise, not just the county’s or the business communities‘.

Money and land can be found elsewhere, budgets will improve, but once you lose ownership of these gems for the sake of a temporary fix, they are gone for good.

Many others have expressed similar views, but I hope more Milwaukeeans, and especially Wauwatosans become concerned and speak up to our officials, because right now we citizens are on the losing end of this.

Sincerely,

Margie
[Full name and contact information redacted at author's request]

2 comments:

  1. This is a change of tune for me, but I actually like the lake front location for the School of Freshwater Sciences. It just seems to me the School of Freshwater Sciences (aka World Water Institute) should be on the Fresh Coast in a prominent location. And if done right it would actually add to the public space, and give more access than there currently is to the site.

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  2. Doesn't UWM already have a lakefront spot down by the pier? Why can't they put it there and make that PoE site into a park?

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