Saving the sisters’ century old arbor

~photo courtesy Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi

The third annual Wine & Vine Etc., a wine, beverage, and food tasting fundraiser for the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi’s historic grape arbor, will be held Saturday, Aug. 27 from 4 to 8pm on the Motherhouse grounds of the St. Francis Convent, 3221 S. Lake Dr. in St. Francis. Proceeds will go toward refurbishing the arbor and surrounding green space.

The Grape Arbor was the result of the efforts of Mother Thecla when she landscaped the convent grounds in 1912. By the latter part of the last century, the arbor and surrounding area was less well-kept, and the vines became overgrown.

In 2009, Sister Stella DeVenuta began the grape arbor restoration project with an extensive pruning process.

The grapevines provide a lush canopy of foliage during the spring and summer months, and people of all ages can be seen enjoying relaxing strolls through the arbor.

“We’re looking forward to next year, as the arbor will be a hundred,” said John Schmitt, administrator of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi Motherhouse. The previous two wine tasting fundraisers have brought in approximately $12,000, Schmitt said, and the money went to shoring up the base, a retaining wall, adding drain tiles, and adding more vines. Fundraising efforts started slowly, but he noted there’s a better advertising effort this year.

“We’re also putting money into landscaping the hill.” Schmitt said he’s not sure of the total dollar amount of funds needed, but future money raised will go toward keeping erosion at bay and adding color. “We’re also focusing on producing a good crop.”

There are currently two varieties of grapes on the vine—one to be eaten as raw fruit, and one to be used for jams and jellies.

Wine, beer, coffee, tea, and food from various participating grocers and restaurants will be available to sample. So far, G. Groppi Food Market, Thirst and Vine (Shorewood), and Sendik’s (Oakland Avenue) are the participants. Schmitt said the event will be set up on the grassy area on the Motherhouse grounds leading to the arbor.

Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the event. To purchase tickets or make a donation, visit winenvineosf.com, or contact Elizabeth Johnson at (414) 744-1160 ext. 3021.

 

Tilting at turbines

The city of Milwaukee has proposed a wind turbine for one of two nearby sites in Bay View, either on the lawn of the port administration building, 2323 S. Lincoln Memorial Dr., or out on the confined disposal facility (CDF) just east of the Lake Express ferry terminal, 2330 S. Lincoln Memorial Dr.

The project would be funded by a $400,000 federal grant designated for a high-visibility project to benefit city-owned property and that demonstrates a commitment to renewable energy. The city’s Office of Environmental Sustainability administers this money and has identified a wind turbine on one of these sites as its “first and best” option for the grant.

Depending on which turbine and which site is selected, up to about $200,000 in Focus on Energy and We Energies incentives and grants are also expected, which would completely cover all associated costs (the most expensive option would cost $500,000-600,000).

Electricity generated at either site would offset that used at the nearby Port of Milwaukee administration building. The Department of Energy requires Milwaukee to “commit” its funds by April 25.

2 Turbine Possibilities
• 115-foot 20-kilowatt Renewegy Wind Turbine or
• 154-foot 100-kilowatt Northern Power Wind Turbine

Public reaction to the wind turbine at a Jan. 13 meeting at the South Shore Park Pavilion was intense but mixed. Approximately 150 people were present and 48 spoke over the course of almost three hours. The Compass counted 16 who testified for the turbine, 18 against, and 14 who expressed concern. At the meeting’s conclusion, 14th District Alderman Tony Zielinski promised another meeting for constituents to weigh in and said he would not support a wind turbine if a majority of his district opposed it.

Some of the vocal opposition was based on misconceptions about these “commercial-scale” wind turbines, which are about three times smaller than “industrial-scale” wind turbines like those on Fond du Lac County’s wind farms. Residents expressed fear about noise, safety, and shadow flicker from spinning blades.

A contingent of residents from the Bay View Terrace condo tower expressed distaste for a wind turbine tarnishing their view of the lake and city skyline. Many also questioned this use of their federal tax dollars and some expressed a not-in-my-backyard, send-it-back mentality, seeming emboldened by Governor Walker’s recent refusal of over $800 million in federal stimulus funds to construct a high-speed rail route between Milwaukee and Madison.

Others expressed support for renewable energy but remained skeptical of a wind turbine for this site; they wanted a solar option instead.

Older residents along Shore Drive also seemed reluctant to stomach change—especially at the CDF site where the turbine was anticipated to have greater visual impact than by the port building. Several also questioned how a wind turbine would impact the many species of migratory birds that use the CDF as a prime stopover point after crossing Lake Michigan.

But the crowd wasn’t aroused about birds. How the turbine would impact lakefront aesthetics was a concern. As one opponent summarized his frustration, “I will see it every day when I wake up.”

City Response

Matt Howard, city environmental sustainability director, responded to many concerns at the meeting. He stressed the safety record of both turbines and named sites in Wisconsin where he said the same models are working silently and effectively with little or no neighbor complaints (Renewegy at Orion Energy in Manitowoc, Northern Power at Madison Area Technical College in Fort Atkinson).

He cited a Focus on Energy report that claims just 1.29 birds die per wind turbine tower per year in Wisconsin, which pales in comparison to bird collisions with buildings, windows, communication towers, and death by cat.

Shadow flicker was argued to not apply in this case because no residences would exist in either tower’s shadow (the sun would have to shine through the spinning blades to cause the disturbing effect; some Fond du Lac County residents literally live in the shadow of much taller turbines).

Lake Express owner Ken Szallai expressed concern about the turbine interfering with his vessel’s radar. Howard said he could only say that the FAA has indicated the wind turbine would not pose an aviation hazard and said the National Weather Service has determined the turbine would have limited to no impact on Doppler weather radar systems. He said his conversations with the nearby Coast Guard have not raised similar concerns.

Responding to those who wanted a solar project, Howard countered that the city already has its Milwaukee Shines program dedicated to solar.

Outstanding Questions

In the weeks following the public meeting, Howard’s office reviewed feedback and at press time was preparing an FAQ web page responding to concerns (milwaukee.gov/sustainability). The city also opted to reevaluate the larger wind turbine at the port building site—at the meeting this was not presented as an option because of concern over the taller tower being too close to Wisconsin Department of Transportation property (I-794), Howard said.

“It is an option. It’s an option now,” Howard said. “Because of some of the input we received at the community meeting. So we threw it back into play. A lot of comments were made about the importance of payback, how quickly this thing would pay for itself. To consider the best options, we have to consider the tallest tower.”

Placing the taller tower by the port building would not be as efficient as placing it out on the CDF—because of turbulence from the nearby Hoan Bridge—but it’s still estimated to produce enough electricity to offset the entire building’s usage. The shorter turbine could only produce a fraction of the building’s annual electricity at either site.

4 Possibilities: 2 Turbines, 2 Sites

At press time, two different towers and turbines (100-foot and 120-foot: total height of 115 or 154 feet from tower base to blade tip) were being evaluated for each of the two sites.

The smaller 20-kilowatt (kW) system, built by Oshkosh-based Renewegy, could produce an estimated 11,231 kW per year on the inland site or 17,827 kW out on the CDF; the larger 100-kW system, built by Vermont-based Northern Power, could produce an estimated 109,615 kW on the inland site or 148,744 kW per year out on the CDF. The city provided these updated estimates Jan. 27.

Electricity generated from the wind turbine would be used to offset usage at the Port of Milwaukee administration building. The building used 100,240 kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2009—a $12,351 bill. The city says this equates with 76 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and, with a rate of $.13 per kWh, expects a $13,067 electric bill in 2011.

The smaller turbine could offset 11-18% of the port building’s electricity (a projected annual savings of $1,460 to $2,318). The larger turbine could offset the entire building’s annual usage, plus produce surplus electricity that would be sold back to the grid (a projected annual savings of $14,250 to $19,337).

The city considers its estimates conservative. The numbers are based on a wind resource site assessment performed by Milwaukee-based Matthew Giovanelli of SolaRain LLC, who toured the properties Oct. 15 and updated his report in January. At the inland site, the city lists estimated wind speeds at turbine height of 10.7 (100 feet) and 11.4 mph (120 feet); speeds are 12 and 12.6 mph respectively at the CDF site.

The wind resource is richer farther from shore and higher from the ground, where surrounding obstacles like the Hoan Bridge cause turbulence.

One outstanding legal issue is whether Wisconsin law permits a wind turbine on the CDF site, which is filled lakebed land technically granted to the city of Milwaukee by the state of Wisconsin with acceptable uses governed by the state’s Public Trust Doctrine. Generally, those uses are navigation or recreation.

The Milwaukee city attorney’s office issued an opinion in response to Alderman Zielinski’s request on the issue, but offers little clarity. The Legislature intended “broad but not unlimited discretion” for how the city can use the filled land, city attorneys Grant Langley and Stuart Mukamal wrote Jan. 24. They felt there’s a good argument to be made for the wind turbine as an acceptable use in powering the port building—arguably an aid to navigation—but said they could not predict the result of potential litigation based on the doctrine.

Howard, too, took a cautious line in his statement to the Compass. “It appears that the Public Trust Doctrine gives broad and liberal, but not unlimited, degree of discretion to the city in its selection of the permitted uses for these lands. A wind turbine would directly power the port administration building and enhance the Port Authority’s operational efficiency. A wind turbine would thus be located on a site that the WDNR has determined is an acceptable use under public trust [as a confined disposal facility for dredge spoils]. The CDF itself is currently off limits to the public.”

Separately, the Lakefront Advisory Development Commission (LDAC) is also anticipated to hold a meeting about the wind turbine proposal, possibly in February (check bayviewcompass.com for updates).

Howard wants to give the public several weeks to digest the information at his FAQ page. He said he’d have a better idea of the next steps in the public process in late February or early March.

Debate Not Over

While perhaps not as loud as the naysayers or uncertain as the skeptics, lots of people at the public meeting expressed excitement about the wind turbine and clamorous applause was not limited to either side.

Supporting speakers expressed optimism about the turbine as a progressive beacon that would showcase Milwaukee’s innovation to other cities, improve its image on the national stage, and provide an enduring symbol to future generations that the city believes in renewable energy. They looked on the turbine not as a panacea but rather as a small, first step in the right direction.

Some proponents also invoked comparisons with We Energies’ Oak Creek lakeside coal plant. Bay View’s Mark Gill encouraged people to consider the “dysfunction” in the current power generation system and felt a wind turbine was a great beginning. “I think Bay View has enough people not afraid of change and we can chart a new path and we have to start doing it now.”

Howard remains passionate about what he sees as a golden opportunity to capitalize on “one of the best wind resources in southeastern Wisconsin.”

“Bottom line is: it would be a bold statement for Milwaukee and would really go a long way to redefining our image to the rest of the country,” Howard said. “It’s really just the tip of the iceberg of what Milwaukee has become in the last 10 to 15 years in terms of revitalizing lakefront, rivers, and turning from the old way of manufacturing to more sustainable manufacturing in the Menomonee Valley. In addition to providing power for a port administration building, it will also be a powerful symbol for Milwaukee, for its modernization, for looking forward, for being progressive in a state that’s supposedly known for being progressive.”

For Matt Howard’s Wind Turbine FAQ: milwaukee.gov/sustainability

Bay View High School’s experimental airplanes

In 1903 the Wright brothers flew the first successful self-propelled airplane. In 1927 Charles A. Lindbergh made the first solo, nonstop transatlantic flight. In 1932 Amelia Earhart was the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic. In 1966, in the tradition of aviation firsts, Bay View High School became the first Wisconsin school to produce a classroom-built airplane.

The Experimental Aircraft Association provided plans for the airplane project, which began in January 1963 with 15 specially selected students. The construction took five semesters, from January 1963 to June 1965. The biplane was privately financed, at a cost of $2,100, with no board of education funds used. According to a 1966 Milwaukee Sentinel article, “The project grew out of a desire by school officials to dramatize the need for accurate work following strict standards in the school’s manual art departments.”

Major James O’Hearn, who directed the school’s aeronautical classes, and Agnar Anderson, a licensed pilot and head of Bay View High School’s Industrial Arts Department, headed the project. Bay View High teacher Marlyn Tibbetts also worked on the project. Over five semesters, a total of 75 boys from art, woodworking, and metal shop classes worked on the project. Government FAA inspectors, as well as Colonel Paul H. Poberezny, of the Wisconsin Air National Guard and the president of the Experimental Aircraft Association, performed periodic inspections.

Their BV-1 model single-seat biplane was a fixed-wing aircraft with two sets of wings, one above the other. The biplane measured 17 feet long with a 20-foot wingspan and sported the school’s colors of red and black.

The maiden voyage took place at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell Field on the 19-degree morning of Jan. 14, 1966. (The original plan was to fly the biplane over Bay View High School as a salute to its builders, but government regulations required the plane to have logged 50 hours of flying time.) The biplane, piloted by Poberezny, flew for 20 minutes over the airport at an elevation of 300 to 400 feet and a speed of 95 miles per hour. The Milwaukee Sentinel reported, “Well-bundled, yet very cold pilot waved from the plane’s open cockpit to about 20 persons gathered below.”

At the Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in and convention in Rockford, Ill. on Aug. 5, 1966, the biplane was raffled off by the EAA Chapter 18 of Milwaukee. Paul Hanson of Albert Lea, Minn. bought two $3 raffle tickets and won on the second one, hence his naming the plane Second Chance. The raffle raised $6,000, which was donated to the EAA building fund.

Over the years the plane changed hands. Hanson sold the plane to Pat Bartlett of Dodge Center, Minn. in 1983. Bartlett sold it to the Freeborn County Aircraft, Inc. of Albert Lea, Minn. in 1986, and from there it went to David F. Strzok of Washburn, Wis. in 1988. Gerald T. and John T. Nuutinen of Ashland, Wis. owned the plane from 1992 to 1994. Ted O. Tendick of Hayfield, Minn. bought the plane in 1994 and 10 years later decided to donate the biplane to the Milwaukee Schools Historical Society, even though he had numerous cash buyers for the plane. He felt the biplane needed to be returned to its birthplace.

The biplane was stored at the Marian Center for Nonprofits (formerly St. Mary’s Academy) at 3195 S. Superior St. in St. Francis. On Nov. 6, 2004, Tibbetts and three of the original students who built the plane began to reassemble it. The biplane was displayed during the Marian Center’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the old St. Mary’s High School on Nov. 20, 2004. The plane was also put on display at the South Shore Water Frolics the following summer.

The biplane is still owned by the Milwaukee Schools Historical Society, Inc., but is currently being stored at the EAA Museum in Oshkosh. The society, according to Jones, is seeking funding for a permanent place to restore and exhibit the plane.

A Second Plane

Bay View students built another airplane in 1972, a fixed-wing, single-engine Thorp T18 two-seater model. Robert G. Burleigh of Roseville, Mich. purchased the plane from the school in 1976.

In 1979, Burleigh sold it to Erik Norton Kind of Huntington Woods, Mich. Rumor was, Tibbetts said, that Kind had crashed the plane and the pieces were stored in a shed. In a phone interview, however, Kind denied the crash story, saying that the airplane only got “banged up a bit.”

Kind was taxiing down a runway, only intending to take the nose off the ground, when the plane’s wheels left the tarmac and went airborne. The plane bounced, hit the tarmac, destroying the landing gear and denting the plane’s underside. The landing gear was duly replaced and the dent repaired.

Kind still owns the plane, but it is no longer flyable. The main body of the plane, Kind said, rests in his backyard in Loganville, Ga., with the wings stored in a shed. The son of the late Agnar Anderson asked Kind to donate the plane to the Milwaukee Schools Historical Society but he declined.

Remembering Virginia Hoffer

Virginia “Ginny” Jane (Jensen) Hoffer lived 68 years in Bay View on a single block where she prided herself on being a homemaker.

Ginny was adopted at age 2 by a hardworking semi trailer driver and a housewife. Her father drove a route between Milwaukee and Chicago when Bay View was dominated by working-class families.

The three lived in the back cottage, the second home on the lot at 1042 E. Russell Ave. Family lore has it that Ginny’s grandmother purchased a small cottage and larger house from Immaculate Conception across the street. Each structure was apparently a parsonage. The story goes that movers placed the cottage in front and later had to move it to the back to satisfy the new owner.

Ginny as a student at Bay View High School and her 1945 graduation photo.

Her grandmother handed down a cast iron pan that Ginny used as an adult to cook pineapple upside-down cake. She praised the well-seasoned pan. “That skillet was the joy of the whole thing,” she said.

Ginny made meals that were economical and convenient before the days of microwave ovens. She often cooked simple recipes like stews and one-dish meals that went a long way, always adding a sweet finish. “I couldn’t eat a meal without dessert—morning, noon, or night,” she said.

Groceries came from nearby grocery stores and Ginny walked either east to G. Groppi Food Market or west to an A&P on the site of the current M&I bank at Russell and KK.

Driving is commonplace for today’s women, but Ginny didn’t learn to drive until age 32 after convincing her husband to allow her to get a license. She met her goal of never getting a ticket.

She baked for Immaculate Conception church or events for her children’s school, and had a memorable and protected banana bread recipe. She eventually shared it with her son James, but only after years of his asking.

Ginny Jensen met her future husband Otto Hoffer in a bar on North Avenue and they were married at IC in 1949. The couple lived on the type of block where everyone knew each other and Ginny could name all her neighbors. But she couldn’t name a working mother: in contrast to today’s common two-income households, all the women she knew were full-time homemakers.

Some of her neighbors were also family members because she and her husband moved into a house at 1114 E. Russell Ave., five lots east of her childhood home.

It was a point of pride that she was always there when her children Lionel, Christine, Tom, and James came home from school. And Ginny always had dinner ready when her husband came home at 5pm. Later in life she held jobs outside the home at a drycleaner and processing checks at a bank.

She enjoyed reading a variety of books, especially biographies, which she bought or borrowed from Llewellyn Public Library until it closed in 1993. Ginny cheered for the Packers and Badgers and was an accomplished bowler who spent 26 years in a league at Bay View Bowl. The establishment provided a babysitter so the mothers could bowl in the morning while their husbands worked and older children attended school. Ginny’s group was so talented that they traveled to competitions across the country.

After she aged and sold her home, Ginny returned to drive through the neighborhood weekly and was happy to see Kinnickinnic “booming” with new stores, even pulling over to look at shop names or linger in front of the block that was home for six decades.

Virginia spoke with the writer shortly before she passed away Dec. 12, 2010.

Habitat clash? Wild coyotes, wary humans

To live, work, and play along the rugged Lake Michigan shore can bring many encounters with nature: squirrels, opossum, raccoons, even an occasional fox. Yet coyotes-elusive nocturnal creatures that much resemble their canine cousins, the domestic dog-have a solid presence in the mostly urban south shore community.

St. Francis resident Doniesa Pershing’s spacious backyard once led to a field, most of which is now paved over with the Lake Parkway extension. Pershing said that constriction of habitat, combined with the condo boom in St. Francis, is responsible for the coyote presence she’s noticed. “I see them along the train tracks, and I saw one run across Howard Avenue with a rabbit in its mouth. They also howl along with emergency vehicle sirens.”

But Pershing said neither she nor her two Labradors have experienced any negative interactions with coyotes.

Lisa Hansen, also a dog owner in St. Francis, said she’s seen coyotes in the area, including one that walked right down her sidewalk. “At a glance, I thought it was just a loose dog.”

Upon further observation, however, Hansen concluded it wasn’t a dog. “But the coyote just went its way, and I went mine.”

Aaron Schultz works for Lake Express ferry, and said he recently saw a coyote in their overflow lot. The coyote did not appear to be afraid of an approaching van. “It was eating some sort of animal and then as a van drove into our driveway, it approached the vehicle and crossed within 20 feet of it.”

Most encounters with coyotes are benign to humans, with some observers deriving an almost mystical appreciation of the animal Native American cultures have long revered as a symbol of transformation and which traditional stories tend to identify as the cunning trickster connecting humans to both new life and death-a sort of canid Prometheus.

However, Cudahy resident Raynelle Heil knows firsthand when nature and urban life don’t always coexist peacefully. On the afternoon of Nov. 4, 2010, Heil said she had been walking with her dog Luke, a 3-year-old German shorthair pointer, in Warnimont Park. She said a coyote charged out.

“This coyote charged at my animal and bit him on the rear,” Heil said, resulting not only in a traumatic experience for both Heil and Luke, but also a lengthy quarantine per Wisconsin statutes that require animal bites to be monitored for rabies, plus approximately $350 in veterinary bills.

Heil said she had contacted city officials, Milwaukee County Parks, and the Milwaukee County Sheriff Department since she’d noticed the coyote presence in April 2010, which she said included “stalking” and howling at what she considered odd times of the day.

A New Enigma?

According to Officer Brian Olson of the Cudahy Police Department, they have received some complaints of howling, and some reports by people being followed by coyotes-or shadowed-but said Heil’s complaint has been the only reported attack, and there have been no complaints about coyotes at all since fall.

Olson, handler of Ezzo, a German Shepherd of the CPD K-9 Unit, said he works evenings and often sees coyotes in the area, and had once seen one while walking Ezzo. “Ezzo barked at the coyote, but it just watched us until we left.”

County Supervisor Patricia Jursik, who represents Heil in the Eighth District and was instrumental in bringing the off-leash dog park to the south end of Warnimont Park in late 2010, said she’s had no coyote complaints other than Heil’s, which prompted her office to contact MADACC and the DNR to find out if rabies was a concern. “We learned that there are no reports of rabies in the area and was told this was highly unlikely,” Jursik said. “It was conjectured by the ‘experts’ that this coyote may have been protecting a nesting area of pups and that was the reason it was aggressive with the walker and her dog.”

Jursik said the Milwaukee County Parks continues to monitor the situation, and no other incidents have come to light.

Brian Russart, natural areas coordinator for the parks, said the department typically receives one or two coyote complaints a year from citizens who are concerned, but had no interaction with them. “Coyotes are common throughout urban areas,” Russart said.

According to Scott Diehl, wildlife manager at the Wisconsin Humane Society for 28 years and author of several articles on wildlife, coyotes are resilient and have survived numerous bounties and anti-coyote campaigns over the years. They have adapted to urban and suburban environments, Diehl said, and have found a new niche in closer proximity to humans.

Coyotes are rarely a risk to humans, Diehl said, and added that domestic dog bites are far more common. Coyotes can pose a risk to small companion animals, as they may view them as prey. “As for medium and large breed dogs, coyotes view them as intruders on their territory.”

The WHS sometimes receives calls about coyote shadowing, and Diehl explained that behavior.

“Coyotes use howling and scent marking to advertise ‘this is my territory, don’t come through here.’ If the coyote feels the scent marking and howling isn’t working, they use shadowing to tag along and say ‘please leave my area.’”

If the coyote feels a personal escort out of its territory doesn’t seem to work, Diehl said the coyote will resort to sneaking in, looking for an opening, and will then take a nip at the offender “only when the animal believes other things have failed.”

Trapping?

Heil is concerned with the coyote presence, and said she had inquired with authorities about trapping the offending coyote that bit Luke.

The CPD had contacted parks and the sheriff’s department regarding a possible plan to trap, Olson said, but he didn’t have an update. He added that locating one particular coyote may prove difficult. “They all look the same.”

Trapping would consist of deploying either a powerful, steel leg-hold trap or a cable snare around the neck, according to Diehl. The ensnared animal would then have to wait for the trapper to return, then be either clubbed or shot to death.

Diehl said coyote trapping is done by a private animal removal contractor. “A municipality or a private individual could contract with, and pay for, such a service to remove an animal from property under their control. The cost would vary depending on the contractor, the number of animals caught, and the duration of the trapping effort. These services are unlikely to relocate the trapped animal(s). They would likely be killed.”

Removal of one or more coyotes from an area is only a temporary fix, he added, and other coyotes are likely to move into the vacated space.

What’s new at Bay View schools?

The Compass asked area schools to answer the question “What’s new at your school?”  Here are the responses of those who replied to our request.

Trowbridge School of Great Lakes Studies

What’s new at 1943 E. Trowbridge St.?

On March 17, 2010, Trowbridge School of Great Lakes Studies signed a partnership agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard’s Lake Michigan Sector. Before this could occur, the partnership had to be approved by the Pentagon!

One of the ways Trowbridge collaborates with the Coast Guard is through a mentoring program. Trowbridge’s Straight Talk Mentoring Program has set three goals in partnering 13 Coast Guard personnel with 16 students: to develop a trusting and supportive relationship between the mentor and mentee, to have a positive influence on the mentee both socially and academically, and to provide a safe forum to discuss issues important to the students. The main benefit of the program is for the students to have a supportive relationship with someone who will help him/her to set small goals for improvement.

Initially, Jenna Schieffer, Trowbridge’s school psychologist; Julie Principe, the school social worker; and Karen Rinka, the math teacher leader, met with Coast Guard mentors for an orientation meeting. At the meeting, the mentors were provided a program folder containing information about the program and helpful skills, a suggested agenda for weekly mentoring sessions, ice breaker activity suggestions, and information on goal setting with their mentee. The volunteers were then matched with their students. The mentors and mentees each signed an agreement of program expectations. Written parent consent forms were also obtained for the mentees. After parent consent was obtained, the mentors began to meet weekly with their matched student. It has been about two months since the orientation meeting. The students who are meeting with mentors seem to really enjoy it. Mentoring can be such a helpful strategy to improve a student’s behavior both socially and academically. Trowbridge School is very grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the U.S. Coast Guards on this!

Submitted by Jenna Schieffer, Trowbridge school psychologist.

Humboldt Park K-8 Charter School

What’s new at 3230 S. Adams Ave.?

Our school has been a part of the Bay View community fabric for nearly 80 years. Many of our students have parents and grandparents who also attended our school. Our teachers are committed to preparing our students for the global challenges beyond the classroom. The curriculum of reading, writing, and math now includes high-tech smart boards, robotics, two science labs, and a video recording studio along with our sixth grade laptop program where every sixth grader has a personal laptop to use throughout the school day. We continue to retain an environment of family and community involvement for which Humboldt Park K-8 Charter School is known. We have very involved parents and community partners who share the same desire as our staff: commitment, excellence, and student success!

Humboldt Park K-8 Charter School is truly a global community school of 600 students. Our diverse global student population is reflected in the 16 distinct languages spoken by our students and their families. The annual student multicultural event is so popular; often it is standing-room-only in our 300-plus seat auditorium! We continue to have full-time art, physical education, three full-time English as a Second Language teachers, library support, and music support.

Our school is also one of the first schools to have a green roof over the vestibules and by one of our fourth grade classrooms. The green roof helps to lower the temperature of the building and to absorb the rainwater that would normally run off into the sewers. New plants will be added to our rain garden in the spring.

The future will continue to count Humboldt Park K-8 Charter School as an example of educational excellence. We remain committed as a school community and through our outstanding after-school programs from 2:30 to 6pm, collaborating with each other in coordinated efforts to address the needs of all of our students. We welcome all visitors and our doors are always open.

Submitted by Cindy Flechner, Humboldt Park School secretary.

St. Thomas Aquinas Academy

What’s new at 341 E. Norwich St.?

Playground: Come see our new playground for our children at St. Thomas Aquinas Academy. In the spring we will be laying the bricks down that were ordered by so many in financial support of building this playground for our children.

Shadowing: We are happy to announce our shadowing program. Come spend a day with us and see what we are all about.

New Website: We welcome you to visit our new website and learn more about our six-parish cluster school (thomasquinasacademy.com).

Win $2,400: We are introducing an enrollment incentive for the 2011-12 school year. Sign your children up by March 12 and have your name placed in a drawing to win a gift of $2,400 toward your tuition.

Teaching Forgiveness: We are working with the International Forgiveness Institute’s education outreach program for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Their grade-specific curriculum encompasses 12 to 16 lesson plans related to teaching children about respect, inherent worth, empathy, and forgiveness—the single most important process that brings peace to our soul and harmony to our life. We will implement this new curriculum this spring.

National Award: The board of directors and national officers of America’s oldest Catholic fraternal benefit society were proud to honor our sixth grade teacher, Corrine Donald, for being selected the national winner of the Catholic Educator of the Year award. This award was presented to Donald from Catholic Knights (now Catholic Financial Life).

Auction: Our third annual auction, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, is March 12.

School Play: Our school play this year will be Annie on April 8-10.

Exciting things are happening at St. Thomas Aquinas Academy. Come see for yourself or call us at (414) 744-1214 ext. 4.

Submitted by Rhonda Friday, St. Thomas Aquinas Academy principal.

J.W. Riley School

What’s new at 2424 S. Fourth St.?

J. W. Riley School is proud to participate in the America SCORES writing and soccer program. America SCORES is a national program whose mission is “to strengthen urban public-school communities through soccer, literacy, and community service.” Children participate in an after-school enrichment program that combines soccer and creative writing. Children attend soccer practice twice a week, participate in creative writing workshops twice a week, and play in a soccer game each Friday competing with teams from other participating schools.

As a culminating activity for the fall season, Riley students participated in the local America SCORES Poetry Slam. Each student created their own poem to present at the Poetry Slam. Students from each school are recognized for their poetry and receive awards for leadership, commitment, and teamwork. For the fall season, Riley students received the America SCORES Leadership Award. Congratulations Riley students!

Submitted by Andrew L. Patterson, Riley principal.

Dover Street School

What’s new at 619 E. Dover St.?

Dover Street School began the school year with a new principal. Mr. Jeffrey Krupar attended Dover Street School as a student. He grew up in the area and continues to live in the community. He has 32 years of service to Milwaukee Public Schools and is very excited to be back “home” again!

During the summer months, we received the exciting news that Dover Street School has achieved candidate status in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. The philosophy of this program is to focus on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and the world outside. IB learners strive to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk takers, balanced, and reflective.

Our program for students with autism has expanded to add two more classrooms. We are now proud to offer a full continuum of services for students with autism from early childhood through grade five. We have also added additional speech and language pathologist time.

We are pleased to announce the new camp director and assistant director for our before- and after-school camp. Ms. Anna Duff has been named director and Ms. Clarisa Walcheske has been named the assistant director. Both are working together to continue to provide quality care and activities for our students, both before and after school.

Submitted by Molli Latin-Kasper, Dover parent coordinator.

Bay View High School and Fritsche Middle School

What’s new at 2571 S. Lenox St?

Did you know that Bay View High School and Fritsche Middle School are both in Bay View High School? Currently both schools are transitioning to one school. Next year, the blend will be complete, when the two will become one as Bay View Middle and High School. The combination of the two schools creates new and exciting opportunities for our families.

Bay View High School is in the process of becoming a Project Lead the Way National Academy Foundation (NAF) Engineering Academy, which is a prestigious and proven school reform organization. We are proud to announce that we have new “state of the art” Project Lead the Way labs for middle and high school students.

The schools offer rigorous academic programs as well as classes that emphasize creative performance through the fine arts. Students may choose from a large menu of Advanced Placement classes; the Building and Trades, Architecture, and Leadership Academy; and extensive mathematics and science courses. Virtual High School offers unique courses and exciting electives for both middle and high school students. Regardless of grade level or program, students are able to participate in a variety of band, jazz band, orchestra, chorus, musical theater, drumming, foreign language, and business classes. Our students benefit from traditional opportunities for sports and extracurricular activities including engineering-robotics, chess, forensics, debate, student government, National Honor Society, BETA Club, drumline, color guard, marching band, cheerleading, dance, and others. Bay View Middle and High School has a rigorous after-school extended learning program through our Community Learning Center.

Our transition is going smoothly. Our middle school students love the campus feeling, adore their big lockers, the opportunity to use the swimming pool, the wide assortment of electives—and who doesn’t want to come to school when your classroom overlooks the beautiful sight of our city and Lake Michigan!

The hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff is paying off. Together, the blend has given us the opportunity to be the best of both schools—“Where the Redcats roar and the Falcons soar.”

Submitted by Robin Kitzrow, Bay View High School principal, and Karen Nastulski, Fritsche Middle School principal.

Tippecanoe School for the Arts and Humanities

What’s new at 357 E. Howard Ave.?

Tippecanoe School for the Arts and Humanities, like all other schools in MPS, is experiencing a new model for reading and new reading materials. Students are engaged in 90-minute reading blocks in grades K-5 and 60-minute reading blocks in 6-8, with a whole-small-whole group model and children participating in literacy work stations.

A partnership with Danceworks will be celebrated in February with all students performing their dances to celebrate Communication through the Arts. During the months of January and February, classes will practice a wide variety of dances including a Russian folk dance; a jazz interpretation of A Tisket, A Tasket; an umbrella dance; square dance; hip-hop performance; and a variety of dances to show animal characters, U.S. history, Surrealism, Pop Art, and outer space.

We continue to expand the arts and humanities opportunities for our students and have qualified for a grant from Arts at Large to send all of our students on trips to the John Michael Kohler Art Museum. While there, students will be involved in touring the museum and hands-on art workshops. Children will look at exhibits through different eyes as they prepare to participate in an all-school museum in June focused on the theme “Water-A Priceless Gift.” A core group of teachers have been involved in professional development with Linda Di’Acquisto, author of Learning on Display, a book that helps teachers understand the power of using museum learning with students. Students will research, design, and construct museum exhibits for an experience to which all Tippecanoe community members will be invited.

For the first time, previous fifth grade Milwaukee Art Museum docents are extending their knowledge of art by touring the Milwaukee Art Museum, Discovery World, the Lynden Sculpture Garden and participating in a variety of arts-related experiences including a studio workshop.

Submitted by Deb Zaffiro, Tippecanoe literacy coach.

Clement Avenue School

What’s new at 3666 S. Clement Ave.?

Annie, Jr. Musical: Clement Avenue School has many new and exiting things every year. One of the newest additions this year was our school musical, Annie, Jr. The musical was performed Dec. 3-4 to sold-out audiences that included special guest Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Gregory Thornton. Last year Clement Avenue did a production of Princess and the Pea that went well. Annie, Jr. this year was even better! So much effort and hard work was put into the production. Many students, teachers, and parents couldn’t stop ranting and raving about how wonderful it went. The producer, Mr. Danek; the director, Mr. Gurn; and the musical director, Ms. Seitz, did an amazing job putting it all together.

The New Green Spot: When you go to a school, is the playground all black? Are there trees and flowers and grass in a special area? At Clement Avenue School while the playground was repaved this summer, the principal, April Swick, added a new “green spot.” The new green spot is an area of grass with trees dotting the hem adjacent to the new playground. During the summer, spring, and fall the sprinklers water the “green spot,” keeping it green and healthy. Swick has been planning to repave the playground for years but has never been able to. The new green space isn’t all for looks though. Once the grass is all grown in, students can play soccer on the green space for gym class, or during recess the students can play football there as well. Instead of our playground being all black, our principal spiced it up by adding a new “green space!”

Submitted by Clement Avenue teacher Chris Scaffidi.

St. Lucas Evangelical Lutheran School

What’s new at 648 E. Dover St.?

Students enjoy many things at St. Lucas—an exemplary education, caring teachers and staff, athletics—and now they have an opportunity to gain knowledge and develop skills based on their interests through extracurricular clubs.

“Clubs are a great way to have fun with friends,” said Noah Gorski, eighth grader. “I knew a little about chess when I started in the Chess Club, and I have a better understanding of it now.”

Clubs encourage students to try new things. In the Board Game Club, students enjoyed playing unfamiliar games. According to Drama Club leader Bart Gurgel, “Students struggled with the language and storyline of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but by Fine Arts Night, they had become actors pulling the audience into the dramatic story…There can be extreme growth for a student when they have choice and work hard.”

Music clubs introduce students to different instruments, how to play them, and how to read music. “This [Chime Club] is an opportunity for students to grow in their music appreciation, their music skills, and have fun in the process,” said Janeen Roska, Chime Club leader.

Clubs also allow teachers and other members of the St. Lucas community a chance to pass on a passion they have to the students of St. Lucas.

“I enjoy working with students and encouraging them to let their creativity shine through their projects,” said JoAnn Gorski, Creative Arts Club leader.

The students in grades five through eight are able to take their experiences in clubs and help with clubs for younger students.

Evelyn Green, eighth grader, likes to help the younger students learn new things. “My previous club experiences help me to work with and encourage younger students to try new things.”

Whether a student’s interests are with board games or fine arts, there are many opportunities at St. Lucas for these interests to be enhanced. To learn more about what St. Lucas offers please call (414) 483-9122.

Submitted by Ericka Tipton at St. Lucas.

A.E. Burdick School

What’s new at 4348 S. Griffin Ave.?

During the 2010-11 school year, the eighth grade students at Burdick School are collaborating with Discovery World in an exciting new program to examine how human systems function. The students meet once a week—either at Discovery World or at Burdick School—with Discovery World staff to study how the human body operates and to design systems that protect people from harm. The information shared at these meetings is then incorporated into the eighth grade science curriculum.

The idea behind the program derives from a concept called “Helmets and Handbags,” which was originated by Discovery World executive director Paul Krajniak. In this program, students examine how each body system works and how they can design protection for humans that is at once functional and beautiful. For example, students study how the skeletal system works and then they design and manufacture handbags that allow people to carry their items safely, without causing damage to the spinal column. In another project, the students design tensegrity (tensional integrity) structures to display how the body’s joints work, while also examining the artistic concepts behind these structures. As a culminating project, the students will design protective clothing for people and then display their products in a fashion show to be held at Discovery World.

This program has been very well received by Burdick students. They have enjoyed dissecting cow hearts and chicken feet, viewing infrared scans of their bodies, and learning about the location of pressure points on their bodies. This program also incorporates community resources and the students are looking forward to meeting people from the Physiology Lab at Marquette University and with various fashion designers. For more information, please contact Dave Skonecki, Burdick teacher, at (414) 294-1255.

Submitted by Robb Schleck, Burdick principal.

2010 SPIRIT OF BAY VIEW AWARD RECIPIENT

Ruth Simos — A tireless parks advocate

There was dancing in the street. The dancers wore black leotards, headbands with silver sequins, and black felt spats that looked like horse hooves. They shook their silver pom-poms to catcalls as men emerged from a bar near KK and Lincoln, holding up 9s and 10s. A man shouted at one of the dancers, “Hey, Granny, you can bake cookies for me any day!”

That dancer was Ruth Margaret Simos, one-time member of the Dancing Grannies, a local troupe dancing in the South Shore Frolics Parade. Simos joined women from the Bay View Historical Society and the South Shore Yacht Club as a Dancing Granny for a few years. “It was fun,” Simos recalled. “It was an adventure.”

Simos, 86, lives near Humboldt Park in the same Bay View bungalow her parents bought when she was nine months old. Her father was a master plumber, her mother a food demonstrator. The youngest of three sisters, Simos grew up with a Depression-era mindset. She remembers her parents’ political yard sign for Al Smith, Catholic candidate for president in 1928. She attended films at the Mirth and the Avalon, both theaters on KK. She learned about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on the radio while rehearsing a Bay View High School Round Table skit.

She graduated from Bay View High with a science major (with four years of art) and married George Simos, an electrical engineer for Square D Company, in 1945. They started a family on S. Ninth Street in a one-bedroom apartment, then after five years rented and later bought her parents’ house.

The parks have always been a part of Simos’ life. She recalls lacing up her skates and spending many a winter Sunday on the Humboldt Park Lagoon, forgoing meals and returning home exhausted but exhilarated. Nowadays, the cold keeps her inside, but she renders park scenes she’s photographed in watercolor or pastels-sunrises over Lake Michigan and reflections on the lagoon among them.

Simos looks fondly on Humboldt Park and imagines what Milwaukee would be like if the street grid of houses continued unabated through the open green space. It’s not someplace she would want to live.

“The parks are for everybody,” Simos said. “If you don’t belong to a country club, if you don’t have a swimming pool in your backyard, the parks are there.”

The Humboldt Park Watch Simos launched with a dozen other neighbors is now going into its 14th year. Her proudest accomplishment through the park watch is Tree Day, which brings over 200 schoolchildren into Humboldt Park the second week of October. Kids witness the planting of replacement trees and do related activities. It’s her small way of connecting young people to a valuable public resource.

“The parks have gone downhill so far since Mr. Walker’s been in office,” Simos said, adding that she’s opposed to parks privatization. “Many of us can remember when things were a lot better.”

Simos counts six children (one in Bay View), 16 grandchildren, and multiple great-grandchildren, “all cute.” She enjoys walking her neighborhood and exploring alleys. She’s witnessed giant leaps in technology but remains convinced that participating directly in human communities is more rewarding. “I see people texting-I think, ‘Good God, get a life.’”

Simos said her community work has resulted in her meeting people that she never would have if she’d stayed in the house. In her mind, volunteering to make a change is better than griping about change that doesn’t happen. And, she quipped, “If you’re a volunteer, they can’t fire you.” Outstanding spirits

SOME MORE OUTSTANDING SPIRITS

Thanks to everyone who took the time to nominate their friends and neighbors for the 2010 Spirit of Bay View award. It’s clear from reading your nominations that the efforts of many individuals make the community special. Not everyone you nominated is lauded here. However, we’d like to recognize two additional spirits whose efforts, as multiple reader emails pointed out, make Bay View a better place.

Melissa Tashjian, community composter and green inspiration

For her role in making the Bay View Community Hide House Gardens a reality in 2010, converting food waste into a resource through local compost piles in the Milwaukee Community Compost Network, and energizing volunteers in related projects, Melissa Tashjian earns a nod. “Melissa is a standout among activists, a true leader with a vision that inspires,” wrote one of her nominators.

Mary Kitzman, community and church servant

As one of her nominators pointed out, Mary Kitzman assumed leadership of Bay View United Methodist Church’s Bread and Jam hot meal program by “battlefield promotion” after its organizer died some years ago. She pours herself into the program, feeding dozens of bellies and souls on the first and final Sundays of each month. Kitzman’s resume is long on service: Habitat for Humanity, Appalachia Service Project, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (helping the Gulf Coast rebuild after Hurricane Katrina). She’s also the property manager of several low-income rental units and has earned respect as someone genuinely concerned about her tenants’ welfare. “This is a spunky lady who has a lot to say,” wrote one of her nominators. “She has been places and done things. Responsibilities weigh on her and she remains cheerful.”

Bucky’s bid Bay View adieu

The fragrance of fresh popcorn greeted customers upon arrival at Bucky’s Super Video. Inside the glass front door, one of the clerks would chime a hello, and could be later counted on to recommend a good flick. After chatting with fellow movie buffs as children played on the plastic playground at the back of the store, customers could choose a movie or two from the 8,000 titles available, and perhaps also a snack such as Junior Mints—or locally produced Black Bear soda. At 1601 E. Oklahoma Ave., conveniently located next to the Bay View Post Office, Bucky’s was a home entertainment headquarters.

But this movie-browsing experience is now history. After selling off its remaining inventory, Bucky’s officially closed its doors Dec. 18, 2010.

24 Years in Business

The Bay View icon began serving the community Oct. 24, 1986, when the husband and wife team of Bucky and Kathy Kohnke opened the store. Bucky Kohnke, a Bay View native, said the couple decided to open their own video rental store because they were not pleased with others in the area.

“We had small children and we used to rent movies [from other stores],” Bucky Kohnke said. “There were no computers in the stores, you had to yell to get someone’s attention, the selection was terrible—it was archaic. So we thought ‘We can do it better.’”

The couple opened Bucky’s with titles in the VHS format and Betamax, another tape format briefly popular at the dawn of home VCR use. Bucky’s kept up with technology, and over the years offered films in formats such as the short-lived LaserDisc, popular in the mid- to late-1980s; CD-i, or Compact Disc-interactive, which hit the electronics scene in the early 1990s; and eventually transferred their inventory to the DVD format. The store stocked new releases in every genre including horror, comedy, romance, foreign film, and children’s selections. They also rented video games. In addition, Kohnke said they offered items not typically offered at video stores, such as custom T-shirts, stuffed animals, candy, and Troll dolls. Bucky’s also offered tanning, fax, and copy service.

Changing Landscape

Bucky’s demise is not an isolated phenomenon; it is part of an economic reality tied to how the internet and digital media have changed the way Americans consume their audiovisual entertainment. In 2008, two other local stores closed—RSE Video and Video Attractions, each with over 20 years in Bay View. Brick-and-mortar video stores, employing human beings locally, just can’t compete with the onslaught of lower prices and more convenient distribution methods. “Netflix, pay-per-view, Redbox [kiosk rentals]—they all just ganged up on us,” said Tom Ebert, who managed Bucky’s for 22 years. That doesn’t even include competition from online streaming videos—or the public library.

Nor are mom-and-pop shops the only ones to succumb to the macroeconomic shift. Goliath chains like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster were also hit hard as they proved less nimble in the marketplace than Netflix. Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Sept. 23, 2010.

“We’re not happy, but things change. It is what it is. We held out as long as we could,” Kohnke said. “Everything has its time.”

Kohnke said he believes it’s not a change for the better, however, as rapid technology changes that acclimate people to doing everything online or at the press of a button from home are isolating and de-socializing people. “Nobody talks to each other anymore.”

Ebert agrees with Kohnke that modern movie sources cannot offer the sense of community and family that neighborhood video stores offer. Ironically, he said news of the store closing was posted on Bucky’s Facebook page Nov. 15, 2010. Within hours of the posting, Ebert said, customers past and present shared memories and bid fond adieus to their neighborhood video store.

“The next day, I arrived at 11am, and mothers and kids were already outside. Some were crying,” Ebert said.

He said that over the years, customers came not only from the Bay View neighborhood, but even Mequon and West Allis. The late 1990s extension of 794 south along the Lake Parkway, with an exit at Oklahoma Avenue near a prominent Bucky’s billboard, also brought customers from outside the neighborhood.

Local Loss

The loss of Bucky’s is felt by their loyal customers and also by Bay View residents who are disappointed to lose a longtime locally owned and operated business.

“Bucky’s Super Video was my favorite neighborhood store. From the friendly people who worked at Bucky’s to the selection both new and old,” said customer Janet Rackowski-Popelier. “It seems rare to find neighborhood businesses that stay in business for any amount of time and when they do last more than a few years, you do get more comfortable. I prefer to go to or shop at an independent over larger ‘chain’ business. It’s more personable.”

Longtime Bay View resident Phyllis Wetzel said she would rather read than watch movies, but when she did want to rent a DVD, Bucky’s was the place to go. “I believe in supporting Bay View businesses, and through the years, I only rented DVDs or videos from Bucky’s. I will miss them.”

Bucky’s had employed approximately 80 people during its almost-quarter-century run, Ebert said, many of whom were relatives of current employees, or community youth seeking work. “We gave neighborhood kids jobs. Some of them are now teachers and doctors.”

He added that there was always a strong camaraderie among employees. “It was like an extended family. Nobody saw it as a job.”

Jake Nielsen worked full-time at Bucky’s since 1999. He said his sister, Rebecca, started there first. “I grew up watching movies, and always liked movies,” Nielsen said, so working in a video store was a natural fit. Nielsen said he’s not sure what he’ll do now that Bucky’s is closed, but has no immediate plans.

Kohnke said he’s had countless wonderful memories over the years, but will always hold the loyal customers and employees in the highest regard. “The best part was to have seen all of these families grow old with us,” Kohnke said, “and Kathy and I appreciate all of our employees, who were the eyes, ears, and face of Bucky’s.”

Eldercare in Bay View

Shepherd House provides day care for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s

On a cold December morning, Christmas music and a few voices waft into the entryway at Shepherd House, which provides day care for people with dementia or disabilities.

Sunlight streams in through the basement windows. The kitchen table has been set and the staff slowly bring the seniors to their places. Some women arrive from other areas on the arms of aides. They are smiling and offer cheery hellos to the writer.

Other residents are still seated in the common area and seem reluctant to join the others at the kitchen table. One man does not want to move. An aide tells him that for lunch there will be chicken, his favorite, hoping to interest him. She asks him to join the group three or four times. Eventually she sets a place for him at the small table where he is already seated. Another man quietly pages through magazines and tears out pages. The activity seems more interesting than lunch. A woman in a wheelchair appears to be sleeping. An aide holds her hand and talks quietly to her. “Open your eyes,” she says. The woman opens her eyes for 10 seconds, then falls back to sleep. Repeated attempts to wake her prove futile.

Five or six residents now sit in the kitchen. They are talking. A gregarious aide keeps the conversation going, repeating the menu while preparing cold drinks for the diners. Her voice is louder than the seniors’ voices. It’s as if she’s directing a choir. The seniors’ voices chime in from time to time. Suddenly, something is funny and loud laughter emanates from the kitchen. It’s almost like home.

The Program

The dementia day care program at Shepherd House was started in 1983 by Sr. Edna Lonergan, director of St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care, who saw this community need. Formerly housed on the campus of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi on S. Lake Drive, in late December 2010 Shepherd House moved to 2801 E. Morgan Ave.

Integrating a children’s program with senior programming is now commonplace, but back in the 1980s it was not the norm. Shepherd House began the practice when a staff member failed to find babysitting for her young children one day and brought them to work. At the time, Shepherd House staffers were happy to discover that the seniors enjoyed the children, who enjoyed the attention of the seniors.

Today the need for senior day care has never been greater. More and more families are keeping family members with dementia at home for as long as possible. With increased longevity and better control over other fatal illnesses, more people are dying of dementia. From 2000 to 2006, U.S. deaths from Alzheimer’s increased 46 percent, while deaths from other life-threatening diseases decreased. For example, deaths from stroke fell by just over 18 percent, and heart disease deaths dropped by just over 11 percent.

Families can be overwhelmed by the duties of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. With the prevalence of two-income families, home caretaking is not always possible. Full-time residential care is not always affordable. For many, day care seems a practical option.

Shepherd House provides day care for about 27 clients and employs 10 people. In addition to the interactive visits four days a week with the St. Ann preschool children, Shepherd House offers swimming, restorative, occupational, massage, speech and physical therapies, as well as art, music, reading, swimming, and exercise activities. Baths and hair salon services are also available. Open from 7am to 5pm weekdays, Shepherd House serves lunch and snacks.

Socialization Key to Health

Marcia Hochstetter, Shepherd House adult day services director, said St. Ann’s holds various fundraisers for Shepherd House throughout the year. She said there is a sponsorship program designed to underwrite care for those who cannot afford it. There are large donors such as Bucyrus International, Inc. and the Helen Bader Foundation, as well as small private donors.

In 2005, Mary Kierzek of Milwaukee was referred to Shepherd House by a friend. Her 82-year-old mother, Florence “Tina” Goodwill, showed symptoms of Alzheimer’s when Kierzek’s father was suddenly hospitalized. Shortly after his hospitalization, Kierzek’s father died. He had been Florence’s caregiver.

Kierzek said she needed to find a place to care for her mother because she had to go to work during the day and she knew she could not leave her mother alone. Kierzek said Shepherd House staff understood her problems. She was happily surprised when they accepted her mother into day care on short notice.

“There was not a thing I worried about. I knew that she was safe, and I was happy with that. It was a very calming feeling,” Kierzek said.

Hochstetter said that it is difficult to watch family caregivers deal with their loved one’s dementia. “They’re mourning the loss of the person they’ve always known. But they can’t totally mourn yet,” she said.

Phylis Stoesser, a certified nursing assistant at Shepherd House, said the Golden Rule influences the way she treats her clients. “You treat people the way you want to be treated, especially senior citizens for all they have already done for us. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity,” she said. “One seed of kindness goes very far—it blossoms.”

Stoesser considers the seniors as extensions of her biological family. “I love their smiling faces,” she said, “and the hugs.”

Stoesser said the hardest part of her job is watching the eventual decline, then death, of the dementia-afflicted seniors.

“It’s difficult when some of our clients do get to the point where they are behavior problems,” Hochstetter said. “It doesn’t happen very often but sometimes there is not much that can be done.” Staff members are trained to redirect the clients’ attention if they start to show signs of agitation. Providing distractions often may be enough to prevent an anxious episode.

“It is always rewarding just being with [the clients], getting to know them, and laughing—we laugh a lot,” Hochstetter said.

Socialization is one of the keys to keeping patients in a home setting longer, said Mary Cohan, assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a doctor at the Froedtert/Medical College Memory Clinic. She said day care provides mental stimulation for the patients, as well as providing the family caregivers some respite.

“Most people blossom when they try day care or assisted living,” Cohan said. “When they’re at home, they may be isolated and get less stimulation during the day.”

She said that the memory clinic has referred a lot of people to Shepherd House and that it has a very good reputation.

“Sister Edna always says ‘we serve the underserved,’” Hochstetter said. “We really do. Unfortunately, there is a big need.”

With the first baby boomers reaching 65 in 2011, experts estimate that by 2029, the U.S. senior population will reach 70 million. Experts also estimate that if Alzheimer’s remains an incurable disease, there could be 16 million people with Alzheimer’s by 2050. Cohan said that at this time there are no promising cures for Alzheimer’s.

Montana Street sewer stench plagued residents

Four feet of packed sediment in an eight-foot diameter city sewer pipe just two feet below the road surface caused a nauseating stench in parts of Bay View in late summer and early fall.

After multiple neighbor complaints, the city took action. In September, Department of Public Works crews worked to alleviate the stench by sucking and scraping out the noxious muck.

In early October, city crews were removing three yards of matter—or about one truckload—per day, according to Jason Sanders, sewer operations supervisor, who’s also filling in for a district manager who retired Sept. 1. The sewer section beneath Montana Street east of Chase Avenue is 300 feet long.

“I’ve seen bucket-crew cleaning that’s gone for a month at one location,” Sanders said. “It’s an effective form of cleaning but it is quite time-consuming.”

Complicating matters, the sewer pipe bends 90 degrees beneath Austin Street for half a block and then turns 90 degrees again beneath Schiller Street. Those bends are difficult for crews to clean.

The sewer in question is a combined sewer, meaning it carries both sewage and stormwater. Combined sewers are serviced at least once every eight years, Sanders said. The Montana sewer was last serviced in 2006.

The current theory to explain the odor is that the July 22 storm stirred up excessive amounts of material that washed into the sewer, combined with matter that got stirred up downstream of Montana Street in the area of an emergency combined sewer overflow into the KK River.

The Montana sewer acts like a rest stop for deposits from a number of smaller sewers that empty into it, Sanders said, but there isn’t enough water from those to clean the big one out.

Although he earlier was considering contracting the job out, in late October Sanders said his crew was done with the main work cleaning out the Montana sewer, and was tracking the source of the odor, manhole by manhole.

“We just have to chase the odor until we find the source,” Sanders said. “It may be even further downstream.”

The Montana sewer is a main line, which heads west under the KK River, then flows north under Harrison Avenue, and eventually drains into an MMSD drop shaft interceptor and empties into the MIS, the Metropolitan Sewer Interceptor.

In early October, Sanders said DPW was still dealing elsewhere with high-priority repairs, including collapsed sewers, caused by the July 22 storm, which led to a personnel shortage to deal with the sewer odor complaints.

“To me [the smell has] lessened tremendously,” he said.

At least four households in the vicinity of the Montana sewer called to complain about the stench, according to Arlene Jorgensen, legislative assistant for the 14th District.

When flushing the sewers and “Dumpster Breath” odor-eliminating perfume failed to alleviate the smells, Jorgensen said the bucket machine was brought in. However, she said then the city’s equipment broke down and they had to wait for a replacement part. Neighbor complaints about the equipment being left out overnight resulted in further delays, Jorgensen said, because it then had to be taken down and put back up.

Another sewer stench near Lincoln and Burrell also elicited a complaint, which Jorgensen said did not prove as difficult to alleviate.

Laure Meka, who’s lived near Burrell Street and Rosedale Avenues for six years, was one of several residents to alert the city to the stench, which prevented her from sitting on her front porch.

“It’s a quality-of-life issue,” Meka said, adding that she’s smelled the stench on and off over the past two years, but had previously attributed it to the Kinnickinnic River.

“Every summer, there’s smells. Why does it reek in that whole area [from Dakota to Lincoln]?” Meka said. “It’s a chronic problem. It happens every year. Why does it have to get to this point?”

Esther Lisiecki has lived on Burrell midway up the block from Montana for over 50 years. This year, the city’s cleanup efforts have alleviated the smell for her. Lisiecki said she’s smelled sewer smells before, but “never anything as bad as it’s been this year.”

Alvin and Sandy Anderson live near ground zero of the stench—at the southwest corner of Montana and Burrell—and said the smell was a problem even before the couple left for a vacation in June.

When the Andersons returned, the smell was overwhelming. “In July it still reeked. Everybody was getting kind of nausea and headaches and so forth,” Sandy Anderson said.

Especially when the wind is from the northeast, Alvin Anderson said the stench was horrible. “It just comes in. We can’t open the windows, you can’t do nothing,” he said.

The Andersons bought their house in 1973 and said they’ve smelled stenches before, but never as bad as this year.

Compounding their frustration is their observation of seven city workers sitting on the curb for hours in the morning, and trucks idling in front of their house for hours, not visibly doing anything, Alvin Anderson said.

“My tax dollars are going to waste and I’m not happy about it,” he said. “They’ve been working for months and I don’t see anything accomplished.”

Sandy Anderson said the city complained to them that they were putting leaves down the sewer, to which she replied that they and neighbors were putting leaves in the road for city pickup, but that the city hasn’t come as frequently to sweep the streets, so the leaves get washed into storm drains. She said the city used to come every two weeks to sweep the street, but now only comes twice during the fall.

She also observed bucket crews making very slow progress. “They were there all day and they didn’t even get a pickup truck full of dirt or sludge or whatever,” she said.

The issue has Meka worked up.

“The city needs to clean up the sludge sitting in the sewer lines. We have such a short time here to enjoy the outdoors,” said Meka, who said she’s smelled the stench as far as Russell and Bay, Howell and Rosedale, and Lincoln and Chase. “You shouldn’t have to sit on your porch with a slab of Vicks under your nose!”

If you smell sewer gas, call your alderman’s office and log a complaint. In Bay View, the number is (414) 286-3769.

Please also consider calling Michael Timm at (414) 489-0882 to log your observations with the Bay View Compass for future follow-up stories.

The ferret whisperer

On a freezing cold day in January 2010, Bay View resident Robin Barnes was walking his pet ferret on S. Howell Avenue past a stand of shrubs that borders the former Maritime Bank parking lot. When his ferret nudged a fuzzy object under the shrubs, Barnes told his little buddy to disregard what he thought was a nasty, dirty little discarded plush toy.

But then the object began to shudder.

Barnes took a closer look and discovered a baby female ferret, only four inches long. He scooped her up and rescued her. The vet who examined the tiny orphan said she was three or four months old.

Barnes named his foundling Zha Zha, and she recuperated under his care. She was in sublime health Oct. 22 when she was spotted crossing Howell Avenue at Lincoln—without a leash. She gamboled across the intersection, past Guanajuato and A.K. Food Mart, and stopped only a few moments to pose for her Compass portrait.

Neighbors beamed at Zha Zha and paused to let her pass. Strangers stopped with many questions. Barnes conversed with everyone who asked about her and encouraged tentative, curious children to stroke her.

As she continued to make her way home, Zha Zha stopped under a tree to snatch a seedpod before scrambling deftly up the steps of her apartment building where she nosed one of the big glass doors. She looked back at Barnes and seemed impatient to be let in. Barnes confirmed that she was eager to get through those doors since she knew there were treats waiting for her when she got home.

Her caretaker is ever vigilant about protecting Zha Zha from hawks, as she’d make a succulent entrée.

Not long ago a large hawk landed on the cyclone fence near Barnes’ apartment building, just a few feet above Zha Zha. He ran at the hawk shouting and vigorously flapping his arms, which discouraged the hawk from diving for the ferret and frightened it off.

Barnes said he frequently finds and rescues abandoned ferrets in his Bay View neighborhood, and because of his kindness and protection of these creatures, is called Ferret Man by friends and neighbors.

Gillen lease proposed for Grand Trunk Yards

Edward E. Gillen Company, the Milwaukee-based marine contractor, would occupy 15 acres on two parcels of the approximately 30-acre former Grand Trunk Yards railway site if the Milwaukee Board of Harbor Commissioners approves a proposed lease agreement that was tabled at an Oct. 12 committee meeting.

The Grand Trunk Yards include at least 4.9 acres of wetlands, though the area identified as wetland on a Port of Milwaukee map would not be leased to Gillen.

Gillen would occupy 1.4 acres just off the 1900 block of S. Marina Drive for a 10,000-square-foot office complex to contain its consolidated headquarters.

Gillen’s yard complex would occupy 13.6 noncontiguous acres to the north and west, including the southwestern portion of the peninsula that juts into the Kinnickinnic River turning basin—the vacant land that can be observed when looking northeast from the Barnacle Bud’s patio.

Here Gillen would have dockside reception and a loading facility for rip-rap and other construction aggregate, according to the proposed lease. (The grain towers and land northeast of the existing railroad line that divides the peninsula are not part of the lease.)

The lease would also be contingent on the city cooperating with Gillen’s efforts to secure Harbor Grant funds or other public financing for the property improvements—possibly state, federal, or tax-incremental financing.

The proposed lease would run from June 1, 2010 through May 31, 2035, with the tenant having the option to extend two 15-year periods after that. The city would be required to provide three-year’s notice if it opted to replace Gillen as a tenant.

The proposed lease is for $13,588 per acre per year (just over $203,000 annually, assuming 15 acres), plus a throughput charge of $.40 per metric ton with the tenant agreeing to a minimum throughput of 7,500 metric tons per year (at least $3,000 annually), and wharfage at a rate of $1,800 a month.

No subleasing without city permission or hazardous materials storage would be permitted.

According to the proposed lease, “Tenant agrees that it shall not develop, build upon, or disturb those areas of the [p]roperty currently identified as state or federally protected wetlands.”

Relocation of Gillen from its current 218 W. Becher St. headquarters on the Kinnickinnic River to the Grand Trunk Yards site would happen in phases and should be completed by Dec. 31, 2012, according to the draft lease.

The Board of Harbor Commissioners’ Finance and Personnel Committee met Oct. 12 to consider the lease, among other items, but tabled the lease due to concerns over the financing deal not yet being worked out.

Attorney Fintan Dooley and Bay View resident Greg Bird disseminated a draft land-use plan for the Grand Trunk Yards site that would restore wetland hydrology and ecosystems.

Their map was generally compatible with the uses anticipated with the proposed lease to Gillen, with some exceptions, the main being that a “foliated fringe” along the waterway near S. Marina Drive was not identified as a natural area on the proposed lease.

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