As city thinks about limiting new bars, a committee splits on how many bars Racine should have

One alderman's attempt to limit the proliferation of bars in Racine is headed for a showdown before the City Council.

At issue are the number of Class B liquor licenses the city issues, and how much applicants have to pay for one of the licenses.

Alderman Greg Helding wants to make it more expensive to get a Class B liquor license - the one needed to run a bar or a restaurant with a bar - if the license exceeds the state-set quota on liquor licenses in the city.

OK, that's a mouthful. Let's break it down.

State law says Racine can give out 128 Class B liquor licenses and 22 "reserve" Class B liquor licenses. So what does that mean? There's two ways to see it:

1.) The city has a limit of 128 liquor licenses. The 22 "reserve" licenses are special and should be treated as such.

2.) The city has 150 Class B liquor licenses. There's no difference between regular and reserve licenses.

(There's actually a third option: The city could set a limit on its Class B licenses lower than the state-set limit, which is based on population. This may be the direction is headed this year.)

Right now, the city follows option No. 2. Racine has given out all of its regular licenses, and is now issuing reserve licenses. There is a $10,000 fee to get a reserve license, but the city refunds $9,500 of the fee, meaning the reserve license costs the same as a regular liquor license. (The city also doesn't treat reserve liquor license applications any different from regular applications. The only difference between the two is you need $10,000 upfront with the understanding most of the money will be returned.)

OK, this all sets up Monday night's Public Safety and Licensing Committee meeting. Helding proposed eliminating the $9,500 refund for the reserve licenses. The city is allowed to do so under state law, Helding said, and it would create a special, more expensive tier for Class B liquor licenses. In essence, it would be aligning the city option No. 1 above: the city has 128 liquor licenses, and if someone wants to exceed that number, it's going to cost them.

Helding's proposal ran into opposition. Aldermen Bob Mozol and Jim Kaplan voted against the measure saying it could cost new businesses, like a restaurant, too much money to get started.

"That $9,500 could be another piece of equipment in the kitchen," Kaplan said.

Aldermen Sandy Weidner and Aron Wisneski voted in favor of the proposal, but it still failed on a 2-2 vote. Alderman David Maack, who sits on the committee, was not in attendance.

The committee then voted unanimously to "receive and file" Helding's proposal, which heads to next week's City Council without the Public Safety and Licensing Committee's support. But that doesn't mean the proposal is dead.

It now heads to the full City Council, which can vote to override the committee's vote. Helding said Monday night he's not sure if he'll push for the council to consider his proposal or regroup and consider other ways to limit Class B liquor licenses in Racine, such as making it more difficult to exceed a locally set quota on Class B liquor licenses.

City Notes: Maack pushes ahead with Owens proposal

Alderman David Maack is pushing ahead with his proposal to remove Corinne Owens' name from any developments on State Street and to create a commission to find a park, plaza, building or other venue to honor Owens for her contributions to the civil rights movement. Maack offered to chair the commission. The item was referred to the mayor's office.

Other items that will come up at Tuesday's City Council meeting:

* Parks Director Donnie Snow wants to meet with the council's Finance and Personnel committee to discuss applying for a grant to pay for North Beach mats.

* Police Chief Kurt Wahlen is seeking permission to accept the three-year "beat patrol grant" that will be used for two officers whose primary duty is beat patrol. The grant is worth $134,927 in 2010. The city needs to kick in $33,976, which is included in Mayor John Dickert's 2010 budget.

* Ann Yehle, principal of McKinley Middle School, hopes the city will close a section of sidewalk on Rupert Boulevard this winter. The section in question is the south sidewalk from Chicago Street west to the cemetery, at the bottom of McKinley hill. Yehle said the sidewalk is "nearly impossible" to maintain clear of ice without significant amounts of sand and ice melt. She added there is little pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk. Her request will be taken up by the city's Public Works committee.

* Owners of the Olley Brother Farm on Highway 38 want to swap land with the city to maintain access to the Dog Walk just north of the farm. Access to the park is part of the farmland, which is being divided. The family is seeking just under 2 acres of land in exchange for the access to the Dog Walk.

* Alderman Bob Mozol wants to increase the number of voting members on the Board of Health from eight to nine. The proposal will be sent to the Board of Health for consideration.

* Horlick High School is getting a new digital sign. The City Council is set to approve the sign with conditions, such as only Horlick-related events can be advertised on the sign.

No tornado siren outages reported Monday, officials say

Severe weather approaching Monday. Photo/Pete Selkowe

A RacinePost reader sent us an email saying she didn't hear a tornado siren Monday during the severe storms in the county. She lives on the north side near the Racine Zoo. I can attest the alarms went off Monday on the south side, so we checked with city and county officials to see if any sirens were out.

The answer: probably not.

David Maack, Racine County emergency management coordinator, said he received no reports of sirens out on Monday. Maack, a Racine alderman whose district is on the city's north side, said it's not surprising someone didn't hear a siren. They're not designed to be heard inside of homes, and the storm could have masked the alarm. Also, Maack noted all sirens in Racine County are triggered by the Sheriff's Department at the same time. So, a severe storm on the west end can result in sirens going off on the east end of the county, even if there's no severe weather on the east end.

I suspect that's what happened Monday. We heard the tornado alarm go off Monday while it was still sunny outside. When we turned the TV on, severe weather was reported on the northwest end of the county.

Maack said Racine County's sirens were turned off Monday prior to severe weather alerts on TV.

Tom Eeg, assistant commissioner of public works for the city of Racine, said the tornado sirens in the city were tested and repaired last week. A few sirens had to have batteries replaced, he said.

Eeg said he received no reports of siren outages Monday.

Committee approves $350,000 for LED street lights; Stimulus money could help city balance budget

It was a good night for Family Services of Racine Executive Director Katie Oatsvall.
She secured $50,000 in stimulus money to make her organization's building handicap accessible.

The city hopes to turn $350,000 in federal stimulus money into $700,000 in savings by replacing street lights with LED fixtures.

The seemingly mundane approval could have a big effect on the city’s bottom line. LED street lights are 45-49 percent more efficient than the We Energies fixtures throughout the city. The $350,000, plus another $300,000 in stimulus money from another source, is expected to replace about 1,300 street lights throughout the city.

The energy savings will come at a critical time. Racine is facing massive cuts in state shared revenue and unexpected bills from the state, according to city officials. In all, the city could be looking at a $1.5 million budget gap next year – a huge amount to overcome.

LED lights should help. The Community Development Committee voted to spend the $350,000 on the new lights Thursday night. The amount was actually cut by $50,000 to give Family Services of Racine money to create a handicap accessible entrance to their building.

In both cases, committee members were swayed by the direct impact the spending would have on the local economy. The LED lights would employ local electricians for several months and help the city’s bottom line in the end. The Family Services project would employ local contractors for two months and help the nonprofit serve its clients better in the future.

Claudius Adebayo, executive director of OIC of Racine County, couldn't convince the committee to give his organization $10,000 to study moving into a new building.

The committee also approved spending $72,500 to join the county’s Green Summer Jobs grant and $7,500 to the Urban League of Racine and Kenosha to help local residents seeking jobs to brush up on math skills to pass employment tests.

The green jobs programs will train 200 14- to 24-year-olds for jobs like community gardening, distributing high-energy light bulbs and replacing windows in homes. The Workforce Development Center put up $450,000 for the program, which will run June 22 to Aug. 14.

The committee’s votes Thursday came after lengthy consideration of eight proposals for use of $534,800 in stimulus money given to the city. The city’s two requests – for LED lights and the green jobs program - took up the bulk of the money. Committee members actually amended the city’s request to include the Urban League and Family Services requests.

Alderman Sandy Weidner also made a motion to give $4,000 to the Racine Literacy Council to work with people at the Workforce Development Center. Her proposal was voted down 8-3.

Weidner's proposal to give $7,500 to the Urban League passed 8-3. Yolanda Adams, president and CEO of the organization, said dozens of potential workers need a math refresher course to pass employment tests. "So many people can do the work, they just need to pass this test," she said.

Alderman David Maack proposed giving the $50,000 to Family Services. It was slightly less than the $55,000 requested by the organization, but Family Services Executive Director Katie Oatsvall said the small gap wouldn't be a problem.

In summary, the committee recommended spending $350,000 on LED streetlights, $72,500 on the green jobs program, $50,000 on Family Services handicap accessibility project and $7,500 on the Urban League's math refresher program. The CDBG money also allows for 10 percent of the funds ($53,480) to go toward program administration such as making copies, filling out paperwork.

Other proposals by Project New Life, the YMCA, Southgate Lodge No. 6 and OIC of Racine County were not given money.

The YMCA’s proposal was hurt because the written plan never made it to city staff. CEO Jeff Collen laid out a $30,500 plan to conserve energy at the building, but the proposal didn’t get much reaction from the committee. (Right: Joe Heck and Jeff Collen talk about what happened to the YMCA's request for the money.)

Collen did share the YMCA is hoping to sell its Racine building, move into another Downtown space and build a new building west of the city. When asked when the Y would like to sell its building, Collen replied: “Now, if we could.”

Debate on the CDBG stimulus money got a little heated. Alderman Aron Wisneski questioned why the city’s two proposals happened to exactly total the amount of the grant. He wanted community organizations to have a chance at the money.

Alderman Greg Helding spoke against the Family Services proposal, noting that giving $50,000 to the group cost the city $100,000 in energy savings. But when it came time to vote, Helding supported the Family Services request, which passed 8-3.

The final proposal passed the committee unanimously. It now goes to the full City Council on Tuesday. Joe Heck, assistant director of development for the city, has to get the proposal sent to the federal government by June 5.

Notes from the post-election parties ...

We were out at the post-election parties last night. Here's a few observations:

* Bob Turner was classy in defeat. He called the Dickert campaign and offered congratulations, and said he'd work for Racine in the Assembly. "If Racine wins, I win," Turner said.

* Not surprisingly, his party at Park 6 on Sixth Street was subdued. Alderman Michael Shields, Mayor Tom Friedel, Bev Hicks, Jameel Ghuari, Jim Spoddick (who owns the Park 6 building) and Pete Karas were all there when I got there at 9 p.m. WRJN's Jan Hoff was covering the party live.

* It was another rough night for Karas, who's been campaigning non-stop for several months. He helped a candidate in New Orleans run for Congress and a state superintendent candidate, then ran his own campaign for mayor and finally threw in for Turner in the last month. While a little disheartened (he lost all of the races) Karas promised he had more plans in the works.

* Friedel, who will step down as mayor in two weeks, said in an interview that he wasn't personally conflicted by the special election. He said he knew he was serving in interim role and looked forward to returning to the City Council.

But he also said there were a few times during the candidate forums when he got the itch to jump into the race. "Listening to the candidates, I thought a few times, 'I have better answers than these,'" Friedel admitted.

But he wouldn't touch the idea of whether he planned to run for mayor in 2011. "I'm not going there," Friedel said.

* On policy, Mayor Dickert will face an immediate challenge with the budget, Friedel said. The state may cut shared revenue this year, which would force the city to cut spending.

He added the big difference between being mayor and being an alderman was the broad scope of items that come across the mayor's desk. "It can be anything from honorariums to life-and-death issues and everything in between," Friedel said.

"The mayor serves everyone every day," he said.

* The Dickert party was - surprise, surprise - lively. Hundreds of people packed Salute's on Main Street to congratulate (and, in a few cases, suck up) to the new mayor.

* Frank and Sandra Tingle attended Dickert's party. Frank boasted that he traveled the greatest distance - 4,000 mile from London - to vote for Dickert.

* Here's a question: Now that Dickert is mayor, will Tingle's lawsuit against the city go away?

* Community for Change leaders were at Salute and talked about their next project: a communitywide forum on health care reform this summer before Congress votes on the issue. Organizers are hoping to put together a nonpartisan forum to discuss the issue and call for needed reforms. U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan and other big-name politicians will be on the invitee list.

* Aldermen Terry McCarthy is now, officially, a Canadian citizen. He received his dual citizenship on April 27.

* City Council members McCarthy, Jeff Coe, Aron Wisneski, Greg Helding and David Maack were all at the party.

Maack leads charge on expanding oversight of mayoral spending

Mayor Gary Becker’s legacy may be more paperwork for city officials planning to travel.

The city’s Personnel and Finance Committee voted Monday night to draft a travel policy for employees to get reimbursed for meals, hotel rooms and airplane tickets for city business. The proposal may set limits on travel spending and formalize oversight on travel spending.

The committee also voted to draft policies regarding the mayor’s monthly car and phone allowances, and to review expenses from the mayor’s office on a quarterly basis.

Alderman David Maack brought the proposals forward. He said he had concerns about how Becker spent money as mayor and wanted more oversight of how future mayors and city employees spent money.

“I don’t see it as good practice not to have a policy in place,” he said.

Perhaps the most serious concern Maack raised was a $300 a month car allowance Becker received. The mayor unilaterally instituted the allowance in 2008 to replace the mileage payments he had received in the past. Becker, apparently, didn’t like fill out the paperwork that came with the mileage reimbursement.

Maack said he didn’t have a problem with the allowance. But he was concerned Becker changed the policy without seeking approval from City Council members.

“What I object to is it didn’t come through the council,” Maack said. “At a minimum it should have come to the finance committee for approval.”

Finance Director Dave Braun said he “wholeheartedly” agreed with Maack’s assessment.

But Maack didn’t get a receptive audience on all points. One of the biggest problems he ran into was the lack of wrongdoing by Becker in how he spent the mayor’s budget. Braun supplied the committee with Becker’s spending records. He said there didn’t appear to be any problems.

That left the committee wondering if the new policies were a solution in search of a problem. Alderman Bob Anderson said he didn’t want to “handcuff” the mayor with unnecessary policy. Maack responded he saw the policies as oversight, not handcuffing. (That led Mayor Tom Friedel to quip: “I wish they’d stop using that term.”)

Alderman Sandy Weidner, who sat in the crowd, seemed skeptical of Maack’s proposals, and pointed out a possible discrepancy in the committee’s discussion and what was posted on the meeting’s agenda. The agenda said the committee would discuss the mayor’s spending, but conversation drifted to include all employees. Her point, while possibly correct, was ignored.

She was joined in the audience by Alderman and mayor candidate Greg Helding. Police Chief Kurt Wahlen was also there.

Friedel, former chairman of the Finance committee, supported all of Maack’s proposal except one that would have required the City Council president to sign off on the mayor’s travel spending. Friedel said there were sufficient safeguards in place for travel reimbursements, and noted travel by elected officials is an important part of their job. Becker traveled the Coastal Management Group’s meetings and brought back $400,000 in grants to the city since 2004.

Maack’s motion for the City Council president sign-off died for lack of a second by the committee.

The three proposals that did pass now need to be written and approved by the committee and the full City Council to take effect.

Committee approves $572,000 to improve police department's impound lot

Police investigators may soon be searching suspect's vehicles for clues in comfort.

The city's Personnel and Finance Committee approved spending $572,000 on upgrades to a building at the police department's impound lot.

The project, funded by leftover money from other construction projects, would fix the roof on a building used to house suspect vehicles in homicides and other serious crimes. Police are required to store vehicles used in homicides basically forever, Police Chief Kurt Wahlen told the committee. The vehicles are parked in a building and occassionally reviewed for additional evidence in unsolved crimes. But a leaky roof and general disrepair of the structure, called the "South Building," makes it unpleasant.

"There isn't a place in the entire South Building you could stand and not get wet in a rain storm," said Wahlen, who appeared at the building with Public Works Director Rick Jones. "It's a nasty, nasty building."

Along with basic repairs, the project calls for indoor, heated bays for police to investigator vehicles for clues. The bays will be an improvement over the existing office, which is unheated and has bathrooms that don't work.

The committee approved the request with minimal discussion. Alderman Michael Shields only asked that police protect vehicles impounded for minor crimes. Those cars and trucks are left outside, and are occassionally broken into - at the owner's expense.

Wahlen said there's not much police can do to stop people from breaking into cars in the impound lot.

"As long as we have an impound lot, people will come on the lot and take stuff," he said.

In other news from the Personnel and Finance Committee:

* The committee may have a tough time reaching quorum for the next few months. Committee Chairman Tom Friedel is off being mayor and won't attend, and Vice Chairman Alderman Jim Spangenberg was gone Monday night. That left Shields and Alderman Bob Anderson to handle a bulk of the voting, with Alderman David Maack serving as chairman.

* Anderson and Shields split on a vote Monday night over a 1997 Chevy Monte Carlo that was hit by a city plow and totalled. That may sound like something the city should pay for, but the car was completely buried under a pile of snow and parked on the wrong side of the street for alternate side parking. The plow driver simply thought there was a pile of snow, according to Deputy City Attorney Scott Letteney. Shields said both the car owner and plow driver were at fault and voted against a motion to dismiss the car owner's claim. Anderson and Maack voted to dismiss.

* City concert band members may not be city employees much longer. The committee voted to direct Letteney to work out a deal to sever the concert band from city operations. The city will still support the organization. The move is proposed to limit the city's liability in the event of an accident or theft involving the band.

West Racine thwarts low-income housing project

The developer of a proposed $7 million low-income housing project appeared at a key
meeting Monday by speaker phone. City staff pointed the above microphone at
the speaker to amplify the developer's voice. The commission rejected the proposal.

UPDATE, Feb. 3: With no debate, the City Council voted 14-0 to accept yesterday's Planning Commission's recommendation, formally killing what Alderman Greg Helding called "the infamous West Racine project." In the public comment section of the council meeting, five citizens spoke against the project, and one presented another 200 signatures on a petition opposing it.

Original post:

The Plan Commission, at the urging of a grassroots neighborhood movement, knocked out a proposed $7 million affordable housing development proposed for West Racine.

The commission voted unanimously Monday afternoon to deny the 55-unit apartment complex, which included commercial development.

The North Carolina-based developer did little to help its case at Monday’s meeting when it failed to send a representative to the meeting. An employee chimed in on a conference call, but dodged a poignant question claiming only another employee could answer it. Not exactly helping out concerns that you’ll be absentee landlords, folks.

The proposal moves ahead to the City Council, but is likely DOA. Chalk one up for participatory democracy. Dozens of opponents packed a public hearing last week to oppose the project. They turned in a petition with over 200 names on it objecting to the low-income apartments, and swayed a commission that appeared to be leaning in favor of the proposal.

Not that this is good news for the city. The vote puts developers and planners back to square one on a piece of (supposedly) prime real estate in one of the city’s most prosperous neighborhoods. It also means a loss of about $150,000 in property taxes, which could go to paying down the $2 million in debt needed to demolish buildings for redevelopment.

Here’s a recap of the meeting:

4:04 p.m.
City Council President David Maack calls the meeting to order. It’s his last Plan Commission meeting. He’ll hand over the gavel to Tom Friedel after Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Maack reminds the crowd of about 30 there’s no comment during the meeting. Roll Call: Four members are here, but no Judley Wyant.

4:05 p.m.

Matt Sadowski, of the city planning department, is trying to get the developer on speaker phone … and there she is. It’s an odd sight. One of the City Council microphones is pointed down at a speaker to amplify the developer’s voice. I think the company knows this is a lost cause.

4:07 p.m.

Alderman Greg Helding asks for city staff’s recommendation. Sawdoski reads it off … staff recommends approval. So that sets up the showdown: the city’s development professionals vs. a riled up group of West Racine residents.

Aldermen Aron Wisneski, Sandy Weidner, Bob Anderson, Robert Mozol and Jim Spangenberg are in attendance. So is County Supervisor Van Wangaard.

4:11 p.m.

Helding moves to deny the project’s conditional-use permit (the commission is actually voting on giving the developer a permit to build on the land). Crickets. No one seconds the motion.

4:11 p.m.

Plan Commission member Brent Oglesby has some questions for the developer. Oglesby was for the proposal at the last meeting. (Wyant walks in.)

Oglesby asks the developer to prove they can’t build a smaller development and still make money. He points out they’re not putting in any of their own cash, because they’re using state tax credits to fund the project.

The developer, Heather Hammond, hems and haws about the numbers and then says she wishes “Jim” was available, because he could explain it. But Jim’s not here, and the question goes unanswered.

Oglesby then wonders if the developer actually has the money they say they have. Here’s the deal: the state tax credits this year are worth a lot less than tax credits from previous years. Why? Because everyone is losing so much money there’s no need to invest in credits that are essentially a tax write-off. Essentially, real losses mean there’s no need for fake losses.

The developer says they have a national network of investors who will cover the project’s cost. Oglesby openly shakes his head in disbelief, which is funny because the developer can’t see him.

4:15 p.m.

Helding again moves to deny the request. He wants to say why, but he needs a second. Oglesby seconds, recluctantly.

Helding says the development is too dense and there’s not enough parking. He says parking is an issue, because West Racine may fill up one day and need a lot of parking. (It’ll be interesting to see how important parking is if a 55-unit condo or senior housing development is proposed for the same site.)

Helding adds there’s already too much rental housing in the city, and points out that residents seem pretty strongly opposed to this.

“We have these public hearings for a reason … they can’t just be symbolic,” he says.

4:17 p.m.

Commission member Elaine Ekes-Sutton is worried the development is too dense. She says the idea is good, there’s just too many apartments. She’ll vote no.

4:18 p.m.

Oglesby says he’ll vote no. That’s a change from last week. He encourages the developer to resubmit a smaller plan, saying the state may give out two or three rounds of WHEDA tax credits this year. “I would not take this as a death shot,” he said.

4:19 p.m.

Wyant asks: Is this the best the city can do, or will something better come along? He thinks something better will come along.

4:20 p.m.

It’s unanimous. The commission votes against the conditional-use permit. The City Council could overturn the commission’s decision Tuesday night, but it’s probably won’t. The project may not get a single vote.

4:21 p.m.

That’s it. We’re adjourned. You have to wonder if this project fares better if Mayor Becker was still around. I suspect he backed this project and wanted to get things moving in West Racine. After all, a vacant lot with $2+ million in debt isn’t exactly a help to the city budget. (It’s also worth noting high-quality low-income housing is needed in the city. There are thousands of hard-working families in the city who make between $23,000 and $43,000 a year who could use a decent place to raise children or just come home to.)

But Becker is gone, no one was willing to standup for the project, and now it’s kaput.

West Racine residents rally against low-income housing development

The City Plan Commission voted Wednesday evening to put off a decision on a 55-unit affordable housing development in West Racine at Washington Avenue and West Boulevard. Here’s a blow-by-blow account of a contentious public hearing at the commission’s meeting:

4:08 p.m.

Someone is parking in the “Reserved for Mayor” parking spot outside of City Hall. It’s curious, because we don’t have a mayor. It’s not even fill-in mayor David Maack’s car. Hmm …

4:18 p.m.

David Maack calls Plan Commission to order. About 60 people are in the crowd. More are trickling in.

4:19 p.m.

The commission votes to go into closed session to consult with legal counsel. They retreat to the mayor’s office to meet. The crowd is up to at least 80 people.

4:32 p.m.

The commission returns and votes to table some sort of request involving the establishment of an outlet at 4700 Washington Ave. They just want to plug in a lamp! (Oh, not that kind of outlet.)

4:36 p.m.

An ordinance involving historical guidelines is passed, but it needs more approvals. Alderman/Mayor candidate Greg Helding upsets PETA by saying; “There’s more kicks at the cat, so to speak, before it’s done.”

4:39 p.m.

Malek Musaitef wants to open a daycare center at 1630 Douglas Avenue. Seems pretty straight forward, and the commission approves the permit. Oops, I typed too quickly. Commission member Elaine Sutton-Ekes amends the proposal – something about landscaping – but the commission still approves it unanimously.

4:44 p.m.

The Commission rolls on with business while a standing-room only crowd waits for the public hearing, which was scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Couldn’t the commission have gone into closed session after the public hearing?

4:45 p.m.

Now they’re talking about a procedural change that affects few, if any, people. It passes.

4:46 p.m.

Public hearing is underway … let’s get it on! Maack lays out the rules, and then tells the group the Commission will lose its quorum at 6:15 p.m. How’s that for public servants! (And, no, apparently they couldn’t put off that closed session.)

4:48 p.m.

Quick overview of the proposal. It seems like a decent development, but a lot of people are opposed. We’re about to find out why.

4:49 p.m.

More slides. It is a pleasant-looking development for the corner of Washington and West Boulevard. Three-story buildings with stores on the first floor and apartments above.

4:50 p.m.

There are two more buildings between Grove Avenue and West Boulevard that are a little more imposing. Hardly offensive, though. Or aren’t they?

4:51 p.m.

We’re looking at 66,646 square-feet on 27 percent of the available space. The development could be four times bigger under city ordinance.

4:52 p.m.

That’s a problem. Ordinance only allows for 27 units above the first floor, and the developers want 55 units. It also requires 129 parking spots. First rule in fighting a development: challenge the parking.

4:53 p.m.

Heather Hammond, from Landmark Development, the North Carolina company that hopes to the build the $7 million project, is up. She says people making between $28,000 and $43,000 will be able to live in the apartments, which include new appliances, balconies, pre-wired for cable, ceiling fans, A/C, etc. Rents range from $500 for a 1-bedroom to $700 for three-bedroom, which she says is a good price for hard-working people.

Hammond adds the neighborhood has a bunch of old houses, and it could use some new construction. Landmark is the group to do it, because it has an award-winning track record on property management.
In short, the company will take care of the property because it wants to make money. It’s also scaled back the development from 73 units to 55 units, but can’t go any smaller and come out ahead. They also can’t add more than 83 parking spaces, and they need approval quick because of a Feb. 16 deadline for state (WHEDA) tax credits.

“Our plan will bring life back into the block,” Hammond said, pointing out it’s now a gravel lot.

5:00 p.m.

Brian O’Connell is up. He backs the project, saying it’s the culmination of four years of work on the part of the city’s Redevelopment Authority. He goes through the timeline of what it took to knock down old buildings to make way for new development on the site.

5:01 p.m.

The crowd is near 100.

5:02 p.m.

O’Connell is defending Landmark. He’s happy with their plan, and wants it passed.

5:03 p.m.

Here comes the public comment portion of the public hearing. Maack reminds the standing-room crowd that the commission will lose quorum at 6:15 p.m. Commission member Judley Wyant isn’t in attendance tonight. I’m not sure who else has to leave.

5:04 p.m.

First speaker comes out in favor of the proposal. He wants to confront rising crime in the area with new development. He says Landmark is a good manager who won’t allow the property to spin out of control.

5:07 p.m.

Greg Thompson, of Bukacek Construction, supports the project. He points out it’s been a rough year on the construction industry. Bukacek has laid off employees, and their backlog is 50 to 75 percent below what it was last year. He points out Landmark is taking a $7 million risk on West Racine. The company will protect its investment.

5:10 p.m.

The commission didn’t set a time limit on speakers. It’s hard to know if Maack forgot, or if there is no time limit on public hearings. With the 6:15 p.m. deadline looming, could we see a filibuster?

5:11 p.m.

Maack asks the audience not to talk during the hearing.

5:11 p.m

Lawrence Gray, a West Racine resident, speaks in favor. “We’re not moving forward, we’re probably slipping backward a little bit,” Gray says about the neighborhood.

He adds the neighborhood can handle more rental units, and points out a condo building may be nice there, but it hasn’t happened. His one caution: don’t design long communal hallways like Jacato Drive. People don’t like those.

5:14 p.m.

Dick Hinsman, the owner of Hinsman Realty, is talking. He says he invested $500,000 in West Racine years ago without help, a shot at the WHEDA-funded project. He says the project doesn’t fit West Racine’s two-story architecture, strains parking and doesn’t have space for children to play. “I’m totally opposed to this,” he says.

Hinsman then offered to sell his building to the city if the project is approved. “I’m very serious,” he said. “I didn’t invest a half-million dollars to see something like this happen to me.”

Audience cheers Hinsman.

5:18 p.m.

Next speaker is opposed. He thinks it’s too cramped for the area. More applause. Maack asks the crowd not to clap because it takes into time, but then proceeds to take up a whole minute himself.

5:21 p.m.

Next speaker is upset more people weren’t notified about the project. He’s also opposed.
No one claps.

5:23 p.m.

Wayne Clingman, a local online activist/blogger/radio host, says the apartment can’t be managed and that it will spin out of control. Somehow he ties the development to Film Wisconsin (just a little tweak, Wayne).

5:25 p.m.

A speaker passes.

5:25 p.m.

Josh Johnson is for the project. He says Landmark has a good reputation and will do a good job. “If things don’t change, that crime everyone is talking about will creep into the neighborhood,” he said.

He added the development will contribute to the city’s tax base and notes there’s a park nearby.

5:27 p.m.

A woman is speaking now. I think she’s opposed, but it’s not clear. “It has always taken a two-income family to live in West Racine,” she says.

OK, now she wants a park on the site. Or a pet cemetery. Or the city to knock down Rubberville and build the development there.

She’s the second person to bring up the lost Piggly Wiggly grocery store in West Racine.

5:31 p.m.

Kristin Niemic, from RAMAC, is talking. She’s in favor, noting it hits with the city’s plans for the corridor.

5:34 pm.

A woman is talking now about how nice it is to walk around West Racine. She’s in favor of the project, because the neighborhood needs investment. “It’s important to move forward,” she says.

5:36 p.m.

The guy who bought the other half of Dick Hinsman’s building is opposed. He says there are too many apartments on the site, and he’s concerned about the lack of green space.

5:38 p.m.

A called speaker doesn’t show.

5:38 p.m.

A Racine landlord who lives in Mount Pleasant is talking. But he’s opposed to the project. He says it’s not the appropriate use for the land. Worried about competition?

Yup. He says the WHEDA grant is subsidized housing that will compete with the market he’s trying to reach with his apartment.

5:42 p.m.

A woman is upset word didn’t get out on the project. She collected 200 signatures opposed to the development in the freezing cold. Alderman Greg Helding jumps up to take the petition from her.

She’s the second speaker to mention Jacato Drive, and not in a good way.

She says the city should wait for a better development.

5:45 p.m.

County Board supervisor Van Wangaard is up. He’s opposed, pointing out there’s a lot of apartments for rent in the area. He’d rather see a grocery store (Piggly Wiggly?) or a restaurant, going on record as supporting a liquor license for the area. He also says better notices need to be given for proposed developments.

5:50 p.m.

25 minutes to the loss of quorum …

5:50 p.m.

A guy says he owns two rental properties and can take 100 applications before he finds one acceptable tenant. He figures Landmark will take marginal renters to fill up the place, which could lead to problem behavior.

5:52 p.m.

A firefighter is up now, he’s opposed and is concerned a fire truck won’t fit to save people from balconies. It’s likely city planners took that into account when reviewing the plan.

5:54 p.m.

Next speaker is opposed. He says low-income housing in Rubberville causes problems, low-income residents don’t have car insurance, there’s no place for kids to play, it won’t raise his property value and it will increase litter. “Mixing have-nots with haves could be a problem,” he says with a straight face.

5:57 p.m.

Another mention of Jacato Drive, and, again, not in a good way. This guy also uses the word hellhole, hookers and lipstick (and ribbon) on a pig. “I better quit here before I get too pissed off,” he says.

5:59 p.m.

Speaker says he’s undecided, but wants to know if 55 units are necessary. He doesn’t think so. He’d rather see a restaurant and more commercial space.

6:01 p.m.

The next speaker lives near the development. She sees Hinsman shoveling his walks in the morning, and she shovels sidewalks even though she doesn’t have to. She’s opposed for all the big reasons: parking, safety, property value.

6:03 p.m.

Are we out of speakers? No, looks like one more … and he’s “totally opposed.” He says Landmark may be decent, but they’ll eventually sell the property to a less reputable management company. “If you don’t believe that, you still believe in the Easter Bunny,” he said. He’d rather see an Applebee’s there.

6:05 p.m.

Names of people who submitted an opinion, but didn’t want to speak, are read into the record. Four more people are opposed … and two of them did want to speak. Sure enough, they’re opposed.

6:08 p.m.

The public hearing is closed.

6:09 p.m.

Alderman Terry McCarthy now gets a turn. He says the feedback he’s received is 50-50 on the project. He wants to know what happens if the apartments fill? Will the standards drop? And, are vouchers allowed?

6:10 p.m.

A flurry of activity at the end here.

Hammond was called up to answer McCarthy’s questions. She says the housing does fall under Section 42 housing, which means vouchers from the government. The crowd mumbles disapproval.

Then she says rents won’t be lowered, but surprises Maack by saying the apartments will be made available to residents making between $23,000 and $42,000 per year. Maack said he believed the average would be around $42,000. Hammond says that’s always been the upper end of the scale.

6:15 p.m.

The commission is close to losing quorum. Apparently it’s Helding and Maack who have to leave for personal reasons. They talk about deferring the decision, but O’Connell jumps in and says that could jeopardize the project because of a Feb. 16 deadline.

Helding isn’t impressed. “We didn’t schedule this thing to come before us two weeks before the deadline,” he says.

The commission starts discussion, but it’s clear they’re going to run out of time.

Sutton-Ekes starts discussion by saying the commission’s job is to review land use, not make judgments on the people who are moving into the apartments.

Member Brent Oglesby, who lives near the project, then jumps in and says he supports the proposal, but he has some questions about parking. He adds that he’s a real estate developer, which may sway him toward supporting the project.

The commission is now out of time. It votes unanimously to hold a special meeting on Monday, Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. to make a decision.

Just before things wrap up, Helding tells the crowd that the proposal is pretty much the only one that’s come before the city. While people want a restaurant or a grocery store, no developer wants to build a restaurant or a grocery store there.

“It isn’t this or a grocery store, or this or a restaurant,” he said. “It’s this until somebody else comes along with a different idea.”

That comment went over OK, but then Helding threw in this aside:

“We’re not turning away a grocery store. The reason the grocery store left is it didn’t get enough business.”

That set off the crowd, which broke out into open jeers. One man started screaming at Helding that the old Piggly Wiggly was one of the chain’s top producing stores. Maack started banging his gavel and ruled the man out of order.

Things calmed down, the commission adjourned and now they’ll take up the matter on Monday.

Alderman objects to paying JT to publish legal notices

Alderman David Maack reiterated his disagreement with the city having to pay The Journal Times to publish its legal notices throughout the year.

The JT was the lone bidder on the contract to publish the notices, which include minutes and agendas for city meetings. Maack argues that the city already publishes its minutes online.

But state law requires that the legal notices be published on a printed paper with enough circulation to reach the community, said Tom Friedel, chairman of the committee. Smaller papers, like the Insider News or the Labor Paper, are not eligible to bid on the contract.

The state has petitioned to change the law, but the effort has yet to pass the state Legislature.

Friedel jokingly asked Maack if he would like to introduce the motion to grant the contract to the JT. Maack declined, and then voted against the proposal.

"Alderman Maack would rather have us break the law," said Friedel, who also noted during the meeting that websites like Racine Post are not eligible to be the official site of record for the official announcements.

Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen ruled that counties with populations under 250,000 people (Racine County has about 196,000 people) do not have to declare an official newspaper and can print official proceedings on their website.

Counties do, however, have to print legal notices in a newspaper, Van Hollen ruled.

We're checking on how much the city spent on legal notices in the JT last year. As a starting point, Clark County (population: 33,000; located in central Wisconsin) paid $11,000 last year publishing legal notices.

City Council to discuss video surveillance May 6

We're a little behind on city meetings here ...

Congratulations to Alderman David Maack for being voted City Council president for the coming year. He was elected on a unanimous vote by the council at its April 15 meeting. The council typically sticks with seniority when it comes to selecting a new council president each year.

Below are the committee assignments for the next year. Alderman Tom Friedel retains control of the Finance and Personnel Committee, a powerful position because of its ties to the budget. Aldermen Greg Helding and Q.A. Shakoor II chair the public works and public safety committees, respectively. Here's the list:

FINANCE AND PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
Alderman Thomas Friedel, Chairman
Alderman James Spangenberg, Vice-Chairman
Alderman David Maack
Alderman Robert Anderson
Alderman Michael Shields

PUBLIC WORKS AND SERVICES COMMITTEE
Alderman Greg Helding, Chairman
Alderman Ronald Hart, Vice-Chairman
Alderman Sandy Weidner
Alderman Jeff Coe
Alderman Raymod DeHahn

PUBLIC SAFETY AND LICENSING COMMITTEE
Alderman Q.A. Shakoor II, Chairman
Alderman Aron Wisneski, Vice-Chairman
Alderman James Kaplan
Alderman Robert Mozol
Alderman Terry McCarthy

ALDERMAN AT-LARGE FOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Alderman Sandy Weidner

Looking Ahead

The council will discuss video surveillance during its Committee of the Whole meeting on May 6. True to his word, Alderman Greg Helding is bringing the topic up for discussion.