Mayor grilled at Bryant Center

(See video of the Listening Session at the bottom of this post. Photos/Ken Lumpkin)

Mayor Gary Becker got an earful Tuesday night when he faced 250 people at the Dr. John Bryant Community Center over plans to change programming at the center.

Becker wants the city to partner with community organizations, like the YWCA and YMCA, to offer additional programming at the Bryant and Tyler-Domer community centers. The mayor told the crowd he feels the centers are underused during the day.

Despite promises from Becker that the centers aren't closing or being privatized, the largely African-American crowd opposed the plan. Audience members made it clear through speeches, questions and applause that it didn't want the mayor interfering with the community centers, some going so far as to say they needed to fight to protect the Bryant Center. People noted that they marched to create the center, and said it was an important part of its neighborhood.

The opposition came down to trust. Speakers simply did not believe Becker when he said he intended to add more programs that would be more useful to the neighborhoods surrounding the community centers. The mayor also said the directors of the community centers would remain in charge of programming, even if outside groups are brought in.

Becker didn't help himself when he was unable to respond to James Oates' question about what specific programs would be added. The mayor mentioned a few vague ideas, but couldn't tell the crowd what he meant by additional "programming." He simply wants more use out the community centers.

The sizable attendance seemed to surprise Becker, who was ridiculed and cajoled throughout the evening. At one point, the mayor said more people turned out than he expected - a point made evident by the single speaker and microphone hooked up for the listening session. The small sound system made it difficult to hear in the gym.

Where Becker's proposal goes from here is unclear. Parks and Recreation Director Donnie Snow, who attended the session, supports the mayor's plans, as long as the city remains in control of the centers. Everything Becker said Tuesday night indicated that would be the case. The mayor added that the centers would remain free and open to the public, and that funding for children's programs may actually go up in 2008. If true, it would be one of the few area's in city government to see a boost next year.

Armintta Franklin, of Racine, wasn't buying the mayor's words. "I don't feel the mayor has any interest in the African American community," she said. "The African American community doesn't trust the mayor."

City Business: Recording studio proposed on Douglas Ave.

Some recent items of city business...

Recording Studio on Douglas Ave.

Chris and Aleisha Djuricic are seeking permission from the city to open a recording studio at 2415 Douglas Ave. (see map below). The Djuricics need the property to be rezoned and need a conditional use permit to operate the studio.

Claim denied

The city denied the claim of Maria Rodriquez, of Summit Ave., who wanted $250 to fix a lawn mower that was damaged after hitting a raised water service shut-off box. The City Council rejected her request, saying the city did not know a problem existed with the shut-off box.

Claim approved

The city paid HM Investments $7,334.68 to reimburse the costs of repairing a sewer main next to 1918 Slauson Ave. The city confirmed the wye connection to the main was broken.

New police vehicle

The Personnel and Finance Committee agreed to spend up to $50,00 to replace the Police Department's personnel transport vehicle for the Special Investigation Unit. Police Chief Kurt Wahlen said the 1995 Chevy van currently in use needed to be replaced.

Starbucks proposed outside of Regency Mall

A Starbucks with driveup may be going in near Regency Mall at 2805 S. Green Bay Road. Dave Herbeck, of Clubhouse on Wisconsin, is applying for a conditional use permit to operate the coffee house chain. It would replace the Joe To Go, which operated at the same address.

If approved, it would be the third Starbucks, and fourth coffee shop, between Durand Avenue and Washington Avenue. There's a Starbucks near Washington Ave and S. Green Bay Road, the Barnes & Noble at S. Green Bay Road and Durand Avenue sells Starbucks and across the intersection there's a Caribou Coffee with a drive up.

Teen dance club proposed for former Century Market

Two new night clubs on Sixth Street are trying to work their way through the city approval process.

The city Plan Commission will consider a teen dance club called "The Bricks" at its meeting on Wednesday. Michael Rosales wants to open the club at 522 6th St., which is the former Century Market (see map below).

Rosales brought the idea to the commission's meeting on Sept. 27. The dance club would be open to 16 to 20 year olds on Thursdays and Fridays until 10:45 p.m. Security staff and police would be hired to control the crowds.

The commission deferred action on the proposal and directed Rosales to come up with a business plan and further map out how he would use the building. The proposal comes back to the Plan Commission on Wednesday.

On Monday, the City Council's Public Safety Committee deferred action on a liquor license for Tinita's, a proposed salsa club at 500 Sixth St. A lawyer representing the night club was unable to attend the meeting. The committee is expected to take up the item at its next meeting in two weeks.

Pointe Blue theories

I've heard two theories on the status of Pointe Blue - one positive, one not so much.

1. A major lender dropped out because it was overexposed in the current sub prime lending crisis. The developers are looking for a new lender, and shouldn't have a problem because the project is in a prime position on Lake Michigan. In this scenario, Pointe Blue is delayed, but far from dead.

2. Condo sales for Pointe Blue are slow, and the developer can't move forward until more people commit to the project. This is also related to the housing market, but suggests the project itself isn't viable - at least not at this time.

A recent J-S article reported that a quarter of the 440 units at Pointe Blue have buyers, which seems like a good start to me. But I haven't confirmed sales with the developers (who won't return calls or emails) and I'm not sure if that quarter is people who are reserving a condo, or who are actually committed to buying one.

Also, the Washington Post had an interesting article over the summer about a national cool down in the condo market. The article reported that the slow market led lenders to require more units to be pre-sold before loans are approved. During the boom market, developers could get away with pre-selling a quarter of the units; during the downturn they're being asked to sell half, according to the Post.

Pointe Blue may be seeing the same effect. Even if they've pre-sold 100 units, the lenders may want 200 or more.

Racine exploring keg registration

A city committee is exploring requiring buyers to register kegs before taking them home. Supporters of the bill hope it will create a paper trail to people who supply the kegs to underage drinkers.

For example, police bust an underage drinking party. A few underage drinking tickets are issued, and a keg is left behind. If the keg is registered, police can trace the beer back to the person who made the purchase and nail them for supplying alcohol to minors.

Alderman Greg Helding introduced the proposed ordinance at a recent City Council meeting. It was referred to committee, and officials are studying the cost of implementing the permit system. Helding said he was initially opposed to the idea, but later realized it could be a way to hold buyers - not just sellers - accountable for underage drinking. Helding added it could also help liquor stores get their kegs back in decent condition.

Mount Pleasant is considering a similar proposal, which is backed by Focus on Community, a local nonprofit that fights underage drinking.

Big plans for Festival Park

I reported last week that three "major festivals" at Festival Park were late in paying $90,000 in bills to the Racine Civic Centre. That issue turned out to be minor - all of the festivals paid up within the last two weeks.

But in investigating the issue, I got to talk with Jim Walczak, head of Venue Works, the private company hired to run Festival and Memorial halls, and Festival Park.

Walczak reported it was a great year at the city's venues, with attendance already surpassing all of 2006 and 4,000 people ahead of last year at this point. In other words, more people are going to events in Downtown Racine - a lot more.

At the same time, Walczak has cut more than $200,000 in operational costs in three years. He's done it by simply billing the festivals for a lot of the setup and takedown costs - a standard fee for festivals that the city hadn't been charging until Venue Works took over.

With costs down and attendance up, Walczak said he even envisions a day when the Civic Centre can break even, or kick money back to the city. To make that happen, he's working towards as many as six new events to Racine in the coming years. Here's what he has in mind:

1. An expanded Christmas holiday season, turning Racine into a destination point with Festival of Trees and other seasonal events.

2. Get promoters back into Racine to put on comedy and dinner theater shows and concerts.

3. Work with the heads of the major festivals to organize a new event and have all of the money go toward renovating Festival Park.

4. Bring a Blues Festival to Racine.

5. Extend Party on the Pavement (which ends at 7pm) into an Oktoberfest celebration at Festival Park that continues into the night.

6. Hold a classic rock concert in Racine for Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary.

All of the events are possible, Walczak said, and could help the Civic Centre bring in the extra $250,000 it needs to break even.

Case High accident update: Student still in hospital

Mount Pleasant police sent out an update today on the hit-and-run accident that left a 17-year-old Case High School student seriously injured. The girl, Sarah Liberty, is still in the hospital, but there's no word on her condition. Her family has asked for privacy.

The driver of the car is also a 17-year-old girl. Police confirmed she was fleeing from a potential conflict in the Racine Marriott parking lot when she hit Liberty and continued on Oakes Road to Washington Avenue.

The driver later turned herself into Mount Pleasant police. Police are recommending hit-and-run and first-degree recklessly endangering safety charges. The DA is reviewing the case.

Racine's Favorite Rented Movies

Racine's top-rented movies, according to Netflix:

1. You, Me and Dupree
2. Love Actually
3. Gray Matters
4. The Messengers
5. Blades of Glory
6. Bug
7. Man of the Year
8. Disturbia
9. The Nativity Story
10. Shooter
11. Borat
12. Stranger than Fiction
13. Green Street Hooligans
14. Apocalypto
15. Perfume:The Story of a Murderer
16. The Lake House
17. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
18. Barnyard
19. Employee of the Month
20. Breach
21. Reno 911!: Miami
22. The Queen
23. Slow Burn
24. Away From Her
25. Premonition

Party on the Pavement 2007!!!

Marie and I walked around Party on the Pavement Saturday - what a great event! Thousands of people were out on a beautiful day walking around Sixth and Main streets. Everyone we talked to was really happy with the day (except for a few weary biz owners from all of the customers!)

We have tons of photos from the event. Click here to see them. If you have photos you'd like to share, e-mail them to me at: dustin.block@gmail.com and I'll add them to the photo page.

Thanks to the organizers for a great day ... looking forward to next year already (with a possible addition, if the head of the Civic Centre has his way ... more on that Monday).

Here's the JT's story on the Party.

Update: 17-year-old girl hit by car outside of Case High School

UPDATE: A Milwaukee radio station is now reporting that the driver of the car was a 17-year-old girl who was fleeing an altercation in a nearby parking lot. The victim, also 17, was fleeing the same incident when she was hit. Police are recommending charges of Hit and Run - Causing Great Bodily Harm, and First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety, according to the station.

17-year-old injured in hit-and-run accident outside of Case High

A young girl is seriously injured tonight after being hit by a car as she left Case High School. The car was leaving the Marriot Hotel when it hit the girl. The driver didn't stop, but later returned to the police station. (The JT has a story here.)

The accident happened at about 2:40 p.m. Sarah Liberty, 17, had "very serious injuries," according to a statement from Mount Pleasant police. She was unconcious when paramedics first arrived, and was semi-conscious as she was taken away by Flight for Life to Milwaukee.

Witnesses told police that the car came out of the Marriot's parking lot onto Oakes Road, hit the girl and fled north before turning east onto Highway 20. Police interviewed two teenagers for the accident and took their car into evidence.

Anyone who saw the accident is asked to call (262) 884-0454.

Silence on Pointe Blue

Four days of asking around, and not a single word to report on the alleged $200 million Pointe Blue development in Downtown Racine. I say "alleged" because it sure seems like this thing is going to fall through. If it was closer to done, wouldn't someone be willing to say something along the lines of, "We're close, it's just paperwork, details, etc., etc. ..."

No one is saying anything. I've called and emailed the developer, Scott Fergus. I've called and emailed Mayor Becker. I've called the director of city development. I've checked in with city aldermen. The closest thing to any sort of comment I've received was from someone close to the negotiations who said on the phone, "If no one is saying anything, maybe they don't want to say anything." Click.

So the project that was a done deal in April is, obviously, far from a done deal. The question now seems to be: Is Pointe Blue dead?

You'll know when I know.

Commuter rail funding in state budget limbo

As the state budget negotiations drag on, I've spent the past two days trying to gauge where the funding proposal for KRM, the commuter rail expansion to Racine and Milwaukee counties, stands.

To recap, the Senate passed included in its version of the new state budget a hike in southeastern Wisconsin's rental car fee to pay for annual operation of the system, which could start as soon as 2011. The Assembly didn't include the fee increase in its budget. The result: a conference committee will decide the proposal's fate.

It's unclear how big of an issue the KRM funding is for either side. It's certainly not on the level of the cigarette tax, education funding or the tax on big oil. But it's not a small item, either. Local legislators on both sides of the issue confirmed that commuter rail is getting attention - it's just hard to say what, exactly, is being said.

Here's what we heard from local legislators on the issue:

State Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine

Mason said he gets the senseKRM funding is a tier 2 issue that will come up once the big issues are resolved. He couldn't say what direction the committee was
leaning.

He did say he's pushing State Rep. Jim Kreuser, head of the Assembly Democrats, to fight for commuter rail. Kreuser, who represents Kenosha, is sympathetic to the issue.

Mason added that a recent letter from Racine CEOs backing KRM was a boost for the proposal. The business leaders continue to press the issue, and that's helping commuter rail's chances in the budget process.

State Rep. Robin Vos, D-Caledonia

Vos clearly says he's not opposed to KRM. He is, however, opposed to using the rental car fee increase to fund the annual operation. He's pushing for alternatives, and his opposition to the current plan could influence the conference committee. After all, his district would get a commuter rail station - if he's opposed,
why should legislators from around the state support the plan?

Vos said Wednesday he favors a two-tiered referendum on funding for commuter rail. First, local governments vote on whether they want to hold a referendum on joining a regional transit authority that would fundKRM with a sales tax. Then, residents in each community would vote on commuter rail. Vos said a similar system worked in Michigan, and he feels it's the fairest way to implement commuter rail.

He also suspects the proposal would go down, at least in his district. Vos said he's heard overwhelmingly negative comments from constituents, which makes it easy for him to stand against Racine business leaders.

He added that he believes mostKRM supporters are so desperate to get commuter rail they're backing a flawed funding plan that will lead to deficits in the future.

State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine

A strong supporter of commuter rail, Lehman pushed theKRM funding through the Senate's budget. Now, he's working with the conference committee to get it included in the final draft.

In an e-mail Wednesday, Lehman said KRM is still on the table and the rental car fee remains the most viable funding option for commuter rail. He also noted that in the last week that leaders from Milwaukee, Racine andKenosha counties failed to reach consensus on a broader proposal to fund regional transit. That could clear the way for KRM funding - a possibility Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker discussed on
Wednesday.

UPDATE: Who isn't paying their Festival Park bills?

UPDATE: We heard back from Jim Walczak, who tells us all of the past-due bills are paid. He wasn't sure why there was such a large outstanding balance, but thought some of the bills could have gotten out late.

Walczak also said a number of interesting things about Festival Park and Memorial Hall, which we'll write about over the weekend.

ORIGINAL POST:

Someone isn't paying their bills. But who?

At the Sept. 26 Civic Centre Commission meeting, Executive Director Jim Walczak said three "major festivals" owed $90,613.88 for renting out the Civic Centre this year. I'm waiting to hear back from the Civic Centre on which festivals owe money.

One group that definitely owes the Civic Centre money are the organizers of the Free Style Fighting competition at Memorial Hall. Walczak told the commission he filed a petition with the small claims court against the fighting competition for an outstanding balance that's more than a year old. A court hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 11 on the matter.

On a positive note, attendance was up 4,000 people at Civic Centre events this year compared to last, and that attendance through August was already higher than all of 2006.

Lehman: Public safety jeopardized if no state budget

State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, sent out a press release today listing local projects on hold, or in danger, if a new state budget isn't passed. Wisconsin is the last state in the nation to not have a budget for next year. Here's Lehman's list:

Lack of overtime pay for Department of Corrections workers, including the 1,040 full time employees work at the two medium-security prisons, two minimum-security correctional facilities and the juvenile institution in Racine County.

Grants for a "clean sweep" waste collection project in the Town of Rochester.
A project to reduce infant mortality countywide.

Funding for the Cops 'n Kids reading program in Racine.

No increase in road aids for towns and increase in youth and court aids for the county could increase local property taxes.

Funding for commuter rail to Racine is on hold.

Two new buildings on the UW-Parkside campus are on hold.

No expansion of drug treatment programs for inmates, making it more likely some will commit more crimes.

No funding for GPS tracking of child sex offenders.

Commuter rail gets a boost from failure

I spent much of Wednesday trying to track down the status of funding for the proposed commuter rail expansion from Kenosha to Milwaukee. I'll be writing about this more tomorrow, but tonight here's some interesting information from Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker.

I'd heard earlier in the day that Walker talked about KRM funding during a "Mayor's Roundtable" hosted by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (read here for an interesting take on the event). Walker reportedly said that KRM funding had a better chance of passing now that leaders from Racine, Milwaukee and Waukesha counties gave up on a sales tax increase to create a regional transportation system. Negotiations to create the system broke down last week, and that could be to KRM's benefit, according to Walker. Or so I was told.

Later in the day, Walker himself confirmed his comments in an e-mail. Here's what he wrote:

Per your question, I said this morning that one of the unusual side effects of there not being an agreement on a funding source for mass transit in the region at this time is that it might make passage of the funding for KRM more likely. Some on the current RTA were concerned that lawmakers would not approve the KRM plan while local leaders were discussing the larger issue of transit in the region. Since the debate over sales tax has brought that to a halt, it removes a potential barrier to the KRM plan.

KRM still faces some big hurdles in getting approved by the conference committee negotiating the state budget. One big hurdle is State Rep. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia, who isn't opposed to KRM, but isn't sold on the proposed funding mechanism. More on that tomorrow, along with takes from State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, and State Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, who are both strong proponents of the commuter rail expansion.

Property Transfers: Burlington home sells for $1.165 million

A Burlington home at 30609 Cedar Drive sold for $1.165 million on Sept. 14, according to Racine County Register of Deeds office. (Click here to download a spreadsheet of the property transfers.)

The home, listed by Sharon Smolensky of Keefe Real Estate in Burlington, is located on the north end of Browns Lake and sits on 0.56 acres and had an assessed value of $946,900. It's fair market value was estimated at $1.018 million in 2006.

Timothy Markowski sold the home. The sale was reported ot the Register of Deeds office on Oct. 1.

The hefty price tag is similar to neighboring houses on Cedar Drive. A house at 30537 Cedar Drive is on the market for $1.25 million.

The Cedar Drive sale was the highest in Racine County for the week of Sept. 26 to Oct. 3. In all, 56 properties were reported sold during the week at an average price countywide of $164,706.85. Here's a breakdown of average prices by community with multiple home sales:

Racine - $116,657.41
Caledonia - $200,966.67
Mount Pleasant - $148,757.78
Sturtevant - $175,575.00
Union Grove - $117,000.00
Waterford - $250,250.00

Crime stories

Guess how many stories in Tuesday's Journal Times were about local crime ... 3? 5?10? Nope. A dozen stories dealt with murders, attempted murder, a stabbing and thefts. For your baker's dozen special, a photo and story about an AK-47 raffle.

Where are you, Pointe Blue?

What's the latest on the $200 million Pointe Blue development in Downtown Racine? I wish I knew. While waiting on call backs from the city and the developer, let's recap where things stand.

On March 28, The Journal Times reported:

Financing for Pointe Blue, which will be this city's largest development project ever, is now in place. Tuesday's announcement by the developer means the project will soon begin construction...

Over the weekend, the financing package for both site acquisition and construction fell into place, the developer, Scott Fergus of KeyBridge Development Group, said Tuesday.

"They have agreed to finance the project," Fergus said of the national capital group which wants to remain unnamed until the closing. Fergus said that should happen on or before April 11.

The financing announcement erases the perception of uncertainty that some observers had when the complex deal took longer than expected to be knitted together.

Fergus, president of Milwaukee-based KeyBridge, said he heard the doubts, but never shared them.

"In reality, no, I never doubted it was going to happen," said the former Racinian and state legislator.

Mayor Gary Becker said he heard the doubts also, but remained confident during the process.

"The thing about it was: Although there were potholes, it always kept moving forward," Becker said.

Fergus said he expects construction to start about April 16. Despite delays, he said the project is still on schedule...

Here's what the site of the largest development in Racine history currently looks like ...



It doesn't look like they've hit those April deadlines. In fact, they haven't moved dirt on this project, and nobody seems to be saying why. Hopefully we'll find out this week. -d

Day One

Racine Post was started in October 2007 by Dustin Block and Pete Selkowe. It's an independent news source dedicated to covering and sharing all news related to Racine, Wis. We don't compete with other media in a traditional way. We link to as many stories as possible that relate to Racine, no matter where they appear. If the Journal-Sentinel or Journal Times have a good story, we'll make it the lead on our site just as readily as we'll put our own news on the site. We hope to become the definitive source for news in Racine by compiling all headlines into a single place - and adding a few of our own along the way!

Pete Selkowe (email) is a retired publisher of The Journal Times with 30 years of experience in the newspaper industry as a reporter, photographer, editor and publisher. He also sits on the board of the Racine Theatre Guild and is a member of the local Vespa club and the Downtown Rotary Club.

Dustin Block (email) is a freelance writer and editor who fell in love with newspapers the second he walked into the offices of The Badger Herald at UW-Madison in 1995. He's worked for several papers, including eight years at The Journal Times as a reporter and city editor. He left the JT in October 2007 to start Racine Post. He also writes for the Insider News, The Daily Reporter, Milwaukee Magazine and Wisconsin Builder Magazine.


Here's our first post:

We're off and running ... the initial comments are good. I've done no marketing, so I'm relying on friends and acquaintances for the initial traffic. I hope they like what they see and tells others.

A few notes ... I've set up an AIM account for people to instant message comments, tips, etc. My sign in name is simply, "Racine Post."

I also setup a MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/racinepost. I've done nothing with the page so far, but it's out there.

News wise, there are some good headlines out there. I liked the column out of England offering an alternative take on SC Johnson's Administration Building. Plus, Minnesota went smoke free today and Racine's "Message in a Bottle" couple is the lead story on Yahoo.

I'm working on a few original stories for later today or tomorrow, plus trying to figure out how to tell everyone Racine Post exists. If you're reading this, spread the word!