Ultra lounge and restaurant owners update city committee on plans to open

Back in January 2009 we wrote about Ivanhoe Pub & Eatery owner Doug Nicholson's plans to open an "ultra lounge" on Main Street in the former Racine News building.

It looks like it'll be a few more months before the "green" night club, tentatively named "Envi," opens. Nicholson appeared before the Public Safety and Licensing Committee Monday night to update committee members on the status of the project. The City Council granted Nicholson a liquor license for Envi about 15 months ago.

Nicholson told the committee it would be four or five months before he's able to open. He is, however, working on remodeling the interior and exterior of the building, which he owns.

The committee is interested in Nicholson's progress, and the progress of two other establishments with liquor licenses, because Racine is close to the state-set limit on Class B liquor licenses. It only has three available licenses, at the moment, and those license cost $10,000 a piece because they are "reserve" licenses that technically exceed the city's legal limit.

Nicholson's club, as well as the proposed "Grumpy's" on Lathrop Avenue and "Gerald's" on Washington Avenue, all hold liquor licenses but have yet to open. All three owners were called before the Public Safety and Licensing Committee Monday night under a new city ordinance that requires liquor license holders to update the committee on their progress if they don't open within nine months of receiving the license.

Grumpy's owner Karley Barcalow told the committee her plans were delayed because used kitchen equipment she planned on using didn't pass health department inspection. She told the committee she's now seeking additional loans to buy new equipment and to open, but is having a hard time convincing a bank to help her. That said, she has made progress on opening at 2011 Lathrop Ave. and hopes to move forward within four to five months. Barcalow received her license last summer and had planned to open Sept. 1.

Gerald Bester, owner of Gerald's on Washington Avenue, is hoping for a late-May opening, he told the committee. Bester has been appearing regularly before city committees in recent months to gain approvals for his restaurant, cafe and comedy club in the former "Bank" building in Uptown. He had always planned a spring 2010 opening. 

Alderman Aron Wisneski, chairman of the Public Safety and Licensing Committee, said city staff confirmed all three business owners are making progress on their establishments. Under city ordinance, each will have to provide a written update to the committee in three months, if they don't open.

City may give new bars, restaurants a deadline to use liquor licenses

Alderman Aron Wisneski and City Clerk Janice Johnson-Martin

at Monday night's Public Safety and Licensing Committee meeting.

Restaurant and bar owners who get a liquor license approved by the city may soon face a deadline to put the license the work.

The Public Safety and Licensing Committee deferred action Monday night on a proposal that would give liquor license holders nine months to open their doors or return to the city for a six-month extension. Despite the delay, committee members appeared to be leaning in favor of the proposal.

Alderman Aron Wisneski, chairman of the committee, said city-imposed deadlines are important following the City Council's recent decision to charge entrepreneurs $10,000 for a "reserve" liquor license.

Reserve licenses are granted when the city reaches its state-imposed quota of 128 Class B liquor licenses in the city. The city is at that limit right now, which means it will cost anyone $10,000 just to get a permit to serve liquor in a bar or restaurant.

However, if a regular license becomes available - meaning the city falls below the state-imposed quota - the license would only cost $500.

For that reason, Wisneski said, it's important for the city to encourage businesses to use their licenses or turn them back in so others can put them to use.

Three specific businesses in Racine were mentioned during the committee's discussion. Grumpy's on Lathrop Ave., Gerald's in Uptown, and Envi, on Main Street, all received liquor licenses, but have yet to open.

The Public Safety and Licensing Committee will take the matter up at its next meeting and possibly forward a recommendation to the full City Council for a vote.

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.

RDA passes option for West Racine grocery store, restaurant and gas station

A crowd packed Monday's Redevelopment Authority meeting to see what would happen with Tom Tousis's request for an option to build a grocery store, restaurant and gas station in West Racine. His request passed on a unanimous voice vote. So many people packed the committee room Mayor John Dickert, left-foreground, stood for the discussion and vote.

A proposed grocery store in West Racine cleared the first of several hurdles Monday evening.

The Redevelopment Authority voted unanimously to grant developer Tom Tousis an option on land at the corner of Washington Avenue and West Boulevard to build the grocery store, along with a restaurant and gas pumps.

Tousis's request now heads to the full City Council on Jan. 5 for final approval on the option. It's a positive step forward for Tousis, but the approval process is far from over.

If the City Council finalizes the option, the city's Access Corridor Review committee and Plan Commission will review the specifics of Tousis's proposal. Both committees will take a close look at the project's layout, traffic impact and the overall fit in West Racine.

Monday's meeting went relatively smoothly for a project that's proven controversial in recent months. The meeting opened with RDA member Pete Karas asking the proceeding be held in open session. No one objected and the meeting proceeded with the understanding that it could go into a closed session, if needed.

Tousis and developer Ray Leffler sat at the table along with the RDA members and City Development Director Brian O'Connell. Mayor John Dickert, Aldermen Terry McCarthy, Aron Wisneski, Sandy Weidner and Mike Shields watched in the audience. Alderman Jim Spangenberg sits on the RDA.

There was little debate on the proposal and once Karas made a motion to accept Tousis' option, with Scott Terry seconding, the proposal passed on a unanimous voice vote with no further discussion.

Despite taking a step forward, Tousis's proposal is far from finalized. Along with passing city committee and the City Council, it needs to come back before the RDA to finalize a developer's agreement. Tousis must also secure a liquor license and financing for the $5 million project.

The option approved Monday by the RDA would sell RDA-owned land at Washington Avenue and West Boulevard to Tousis for $250,000. Tousis would receive $50,000 of mortgage relief every year for five years - or $250,000 - if he creates at least 24 jobs.

Leffler, a prominent local developer who is working with Tousis, said the project would create more than 24 jobs.

"We want to over-deliver, which is what our intention is," Leffler told the RDA.

Police to use armored car to monitor nuisance properties

Peoria's "armadillo"

Racine police have something fun planned for nuisance properties in the city.

The police department has a MacGyver-esque plan to convert an armored vehicle into a mobile, indestructible video camera.

Known in some communities as the "armadillo," the armored vehicle will be parked outside of troublesome properties and record activity for three to five days, according to Police Chief Kurt Wahlen.

Wahlen got the idea from a similar program in Peoria, Ill. Police there first tried to videotape nuisance properties using a parked squad car, but neighborhood residents smashed out headlights and further damaged the vehicle, Wahlen said.

Peoria police switched to an armored car, which couldn't be damaged. The vehicle proved so successful at monitoring problem properties that Peoria now has a second one, Wahlen said.

An added bonus with Racine's armored car is it's basically free. A 1999 armored car was donated to the police department and the city needs to spend a few thousand dollars tuning up the engine, mounting the camera and painting the vehicle.

Wahlen appeared before the city's Public Safety and Licensing and Finance and Personnel committees Monday night to get approval to accept the donated car. The City Council will consider the donation next Tuesday.

"This is a great tool in our arsenal," he said.

Wahlen said policies are being drawn up on how to use the vehicle. He did say neighbors would be notified when the armored vehicle is parked in front of a nearby house.

The donation easily passed the committees Monday.

"It's a great idea that costs almost nothing," said Alderman Aron Wisneski, chairman of the Public Safety and Licensing Committee.

Tousis submits plans for West Racine grocery store, restaurant and gas station; Announces he'll use union labor on project

Local businessman Tom Tousis submitted plans to the city Friday to build a grocery store, restaurant, bank and gas station in West Racine.

Tousis's proposal for the corner of Washington Avenue and West Boulevard differs from the one he talked about in July. He eliminated a proposed car wash and expanded the grocery store to 10,300-square-feet of retail space. (Initial plans called for 6,500-square-feet in retail space.)

He kept the 165-seat diner called "Gus's Diner," a small bank and a gas station. The proposal also would preserve the West Racine Farmer's Market.

Tousis said Friday he expanded the grocery store in response to critics, including Alderman Aron Wisneski, concerned he wanted to open a gas station with a convenience store. Adding 3,500-square-feet to the grocery store, which will include produce and a meat department, clearly elevates the project above a convenience store, Tousis said.

Wisneski confirmed he did raise concerns about the car wash when Tousis first made the project public, but said he still needs to review the official proposal to decide if he'll support it. At a glance, Wisneski said, the grocery store and restaurant appear to be two items West Racine residents have wanted for several years. But city officials need review the details to see if the proposal holds up to scrutiny.

"Tom's plan, just like any other development, will sink or swim on its merits," Wisneski said.

Along with submitting plans Friday, Tousis also announced he would use all union labor on the $5 million project.

Tom Reiherzer, of the Tri-County Contractors Association and the Southeastern Wisconsin Building & Construction Trades Council, confirmed Tousis signed a project labor agreement on the project, which would lock him into using all union contractors.

"He wants union workers from Racine first," Reiherzer said, "and he'll expand to Kenosha if he has too."

Wes Gable, president of Teamsters Local 43, said the project would bring needed jobs to the local unions. He estimated 20 percent of union workers in Racine are out of work.

"I sit on a council with 14 different (building) trades," Gable said. "They all have guys on the bench, looking for work."

Simmering feud? Wisneski, Shields continue to clash

Alderman Mike Shields heatedly addressed the Public Safety and Licensing Committee Monday night that's chaired by Alderman Aron Wisneski. Shields was ruled out of order for arguing.

Aldermen Aron Wisneski and Michael Shields continued their contentious relationship Monday night during two committee meetings.

First, Shields opposed Wisneski's effort at the Finance and Personnel Committee to get six decorative street lights for his district. Then, Shields heatedly engaged Wisneski during the Public Safety and Licensing Committee meeting over questions the committee was asking Tommy Daniels, who is trying to reopen the former "Cash Money's" as "Tommy's Den" at 901 S. Memorial Drive. Daniels turned in his liquor license to the city back in February rather than improve security.

The aldermen have exchanged words in the past over the Public Safety and Licensing Committee's aggressive oversight of liquor licenses in the city. The committee routinely calls in bars to explain incidents with police and to demand tighter security measures, such as video cameras, electronic ID checkers and private security.

On Monday night, Shields said the committee "micromanages" businesses applying for liquor licenses and suggested Daniels was being treated unfairly. During the tense exchange, Alderman Bob Mozol called Shields "out of order" for arguing with the committee. Shields then backed down and the committee voted to defer action on Daniels' request for two weeks.

Last month, Shields exhorted Wisneski's committee for the way it works with minority business owners. "The way they drill people of color is a problem with me," he said July 28.

Wisneski responded in July that Shields was misinformed. "Our committee is doing its job," he said. "We don't hand out licenses like candy. Liquor licenses are a serious job for our committee."

On Monday night the committee considered Daniels' application for a new liquor license for 901 S. Memorial Drive. Daniels was under scrutiny earlier this year for a murder and shooting that occurred near the bar. Mozol nearly lost his temper Monday night when addressing Daniels, saying Cash Money's "was not just a normal bar that closed." He said Daniels needed a detailed business plan to win over the committee's support. Wisneski recommended Daniels meet with City Attorney Rob Weber to work out an agreement within the next two weeks.

Shields said the committee needed to make it clear to applicants what they need to show to win approval for a license. Wisneski responded the City Clerk hands out a sample business plan and specific questions to all liquor license applicants.

As an aside to the issue, Daniels will not have to pay $10,000 to acquire one of the city's "reserve" "Class B" liquor licenses because he applied when a license was available. As of now, the city is at a state-mandated quota for liquor licenses and anyone who wants to open a bar or restaurant with a full bar would need to purchase one of the reserve licenses.

Council headed for showdown over Lathrop Ave. lights

The City Council is headed for a showdown over six street lights on Lathrop Ave.

Alderman Aron Wisneski appeared before the council's Finance and Personnel Committee Monday night hoping to secure $16,250 for six decorative light poles in the 700, 800 and 900 blocks of Lathrop Ave. The poles would match the lights installed on Orchard and Russet streets one and two blocks to the west.

The city's Public Works Department intends to install standard new lights on the street, which are the basic black poles used throughout the city. Here's a breakdown of the lights in question (there are taken from city records; we didn't add the labels):

These are the lights that need to be replaced. According to residents,
the lights haven't worked for over a year.

The type of light proposed for Lathrop Ave.

The type of light residents want installed, but will cost the city $16,250.
You can see more detailed photos of the lights here.

Wisneski and about 10 residents attended the meeting to make a case for the decorative poles, which in addition to cost an additional $16,250, are also less efficient than the standard poles (though the decorative lights are far more efficient than the current poles and only slightly less efficient than the standard poles). That would cost the city an estimated $200 per year in lost energy savings.

Their main argument was this section of Lathrop Ave. should be included in the Manree Park historic neighborhood and receive the historic looking lights. But the street isn't included in the district, and that left them with the standard lights.

They took their case to the Public Works Committee and got approval to install the historic lights. But the Public Works Committee sent them to the finance committee to find money for the lights. Members of the finance committee were skeptical.

Alderman Mike Shields, who sits on the Finance Committee, outright opposed the request, saying he wouldn't support spending city money on the lights. He called the proposal "fiscally irresponsible" and made a motion to reject the request. The motion failed for lack of a second.

Alderman Bob Anderson backed Wisneski's request, but Alderman Q.A. Shakoor II said he wasn't comfortable voting until he had more information. He motioned to send the proposal to a Committee of the Whole meeting (that's the entire City Council meeting as a committee) to discuss the request, which he said could set precedent for other areas of the city.

Alderman Jim Spangenberg, chairman of the committee, was non-committal. But he did point out sections of his district are near an historic area, but still had standard lights installed. He also wondered where the money would come from for the lights. Kathleen Fischer, assistant finance director, said the money would come out of the city's reserve fund.

One option not discussed by the committee was the city staff's recommendation to consider charging residents a special assessment to cover the additional cost of the lights.

The committee voted 2-1 to pass Shakoor's resolution and recommend sending the proposal to Committee of the Whole. Shakoor and Shields voted yes; Anderson no. Spangenberg, as chairman, didn't vote.

The committee's decision sets up a debate at next Tuesday's City Council meeting over the proposal. The Public Works Committee supported the decorative lights and it seems likely that Wisneski and Anderson would support dipping into the city's reserves to cover the upgrade. The council could vote next week to approve the lights, send the issue to committee or simply vote it down.

It'll be interesting to see how the council proceeds.

A couple more notes ...

Anticipating comments about wasting time on small issues like lights, this is important to residents. Forty-four residents on Lathrop or nearby streets signed a petition asking for the historic lights, and about 10 turned out for Monday night's meeting. One resident stood up Monday night and said she'd rather the city wait a year and install nothing rather than put in the standard poles, which they feel will detract from the street. This matters to people. Now, whether it fits with the city's budget is for the council to decide. But it certainly seems worth their time.

The city spends about $1.2 million a year lighting its streets. Stimulus money to install LED high-efficiency lights should help control that number, which had been jumping close to 10 percent a year in recent years. Spangenberg said he recalls not long ago the number being close to $400,000.

Anyone know why it's called Manree Park? If so, post in the comments. If you want to see more names for Racine's neighborhoods, check out this map that includes areas in the city such as: Westown Heights, Maple Grove, Slausondale and Garden City.

Community rallies to build a playground for all

Coach Ben Lake and members of the St. Catherine's boys soccer team carry a walkway Saturday during construction of the new playground at Lockwood Park in Racine.

To get the whole story about the new playground that's going up in Lockwood Park, you have to go back to a conversation between Ben Lake and Aron Wisneski over a year ago.

Lake's 7-year-old son has cerebal palsy and uses a walker to get around. It's not much of an obstacle for him - until he gets to playgrounds covered in woodchips and sand. While most kids can just walk or run over the soft surfaces, anyone who uses wheelchairs or walkers struggles to move around.

During a fortuitous trip to northern Wisconsin, Lake stumbled across an alternative. He was actually snowmobiling past a school and saw a playground sitting on top of a bright-colored surface. He stopped to investigate and found what's known as a "boundless" playground with a rubberized surface that's soft for kids to play on, but also easy to cross.

Lake brought the idea back to Racine and found a receptive ear in Wisneski, whose district includes Lockwood Park. Lake lives just a few blocks away.

Volunteers getting ready to put a walkway into place.

The plan was to create a playground that's fully accessible to people with disabilities - and anyone else who may be limited in movement. For example, grandparents who wants to play with their grandchildren, but don't want to walk up steps or across sand to do it.

Members of the St. Cat's boys soccer team carry a slide across the work site on Saturday.

Wisneski took the idea through city government and secured money for the project, which replaces some out-dated, and frankly unsafe, equipment that had been in Lockwood Park. Wisneski said the old playground equipment was one of the biggest complaints he heard from his constituents.

The playground took shape Saturday with the help of more than 105 volunteers who gathered in the park to place poles, attach walkways and railings, add slides, tic-tac-toe boards and even bongo drums. Work started at 8:30 a.m. and continued into Saturday evening.

Professional playground builders from Minnesota Wisconsin Playground, based in Golden Valley, Minn., led construction while Wisneski oversaw the project. The result was an impressive structure that will be a great addition to the park.

The playground around 2 p.m.

Work should be done within two weeks. The professional builders will be back out Sunday pouring concrete to secure the poles and then will return next week to build a concrete curb and pour the rubberized surface into place around the playground equipment.

Among the volunteers were players on Lake's girls and boys soccer teams at St. Catherine's High School. The girls actually started work on the project last year when they took wheelchairs, walkers and other tools for the disabled and studied an existing local playground to understand what was needed to build a fully accessible playground. (For example, girls pushed each other in wheelchairs across sand or tried to navigate the playground's layout with limited vision.)

The boys team then worked most of Saturday (the girls worked in the morning) building the playground. Lake said community service was an important part of playing soccer at St. Cat's.

"When you sign up for the sport, you're signing up for community service," he said.

Leaving the playground project, I stopped Wisneski and shook his hand. "You're doing a great thing here," I said.

"We're doing a great thing here," Wisneski answered, pointing at the volunteers who had worked eight-straight hours at that point, and probably had a couple more to go. "We're all doing this together."

Alderman Aron Wisneski works on the new playground in Lockwood Park.

A slideshow of pictures from Saturday's work on the Lockwood Park playground:

Plan Commission delays action on incentives for building new homes

A proposal designed to encourage more city, county and Racine Unified employees to build homes in the city is being sent back to the drawing board for revisions.

Aldermen Aron Wisneski and Terry McCarthy had proposed giving employees tax breaks and free or reduced priced lots if they agree to build a new home in the city.

But McCarthy said during Wednesday's Plan Commission meeting that that tax component of the idea was legally unworkable. Under the law all properties in the city have to be treated the same, he explained.

The setback doesn't necessarily doom the program. The city can still give away land for new homes at reduced prices and McCarthy asked city staff to study other incentives they can offer people to build new homes.

McCarthy also said he was open to including more people - possibly anyone interested in moving to the city - in the incentive program, and expanding the program to include renovations along with new construction. Adding renovations to the program would be a major expansion. Right now the city only has has four or lots that would qualify for new construction, according to City Development Director Brian O'Connell.

Eric Marcus, a member of the Plan Commission, said he strongly supported opening up the program to more people.

"I'm a strong proponent of not limiting this to city, county and RUSD," Macus said. "Let's open it to anyone who wants this."

Plan Commission member Elaine Sutton Ekes said the city needed to consider the broader question of whether the program amounted to using public resources for private benefit.

The Plan Commission voted to defer action on the proposal. McCarthy said he and would Wisneski would continue working on the idea with city staff and hopefully work out a new proposal to bring back to the committee.

Dickert: 10-year plan will be incorporated into city budget

We sat down with Mayor John Dickert last week to hear his thoughts on how the first few months on the job are going. Here's a breakdown of the conversation:

On his 10-year plan: "We're going to incorporate it into the budget," said Dickert, who described a new budget process he hopes will focus on priorities such as improving the city's housing stock and improving its parks system.

"Instead of waiting for people to create budgets, we're meeting with them beforehand," said Dickert, who described his budget criteria with a question: "Is it working?"

If it is, Dickert said, it should be supported. If it isn't, it should be cut. All of the decisions should be made "looking long-range," said Dickert, as opposed to making short-term decisions.

"What I talked about in the campaign is what I'm doing," Dickert said.

During the campaign, Dickert said he had a "10-year plan" to make Racine a "Top 10" city.

On stimulus money for three new police officers: Dickert said it would be "irresponsible" to accept federal stimulus to hire three new police officers if there's no long-term plan to maintain the positions.

At issue is $813,000 in stimulus the city received to hire three police officers for three years. The problem is there is no money to cover the fourth year, but a requirement that the city keep those positions filled. Under federal law, the fourth year will cost the city a one-time payment of $250,000 if it accepts the stimulus money. In the fifth year the positions can be eliminated, if needed.

Dickert said staff is reviewing its short and long-term budgets to see if the city can afford the officers. He added the he called the Obama administration to ask them to "loosen the strings" on the stimulus money. "If they can loosen the strings a little bit, we can get the cops on the street," he said.

When asked why the city doesn't just take the money, hire the officers and worry about keeping the positions in three years, Dickert said that was "bad government."

"It makes sense if I was worried about getting re-elected," he said. "But I have to make the best long-term decision for the city."

On city parks: Dickert pointed to Alderman Aron Wisneski's efforts in Lockwood Park as a positive example of someone stepping forward to improve a city park. "He's making his park incredible," Dickert said. "Why aren't they always like that?"

He said the 10-year plan would include figuring out where the city should locate its parks and what services should be there. Should the city build splash pads for kids? How about a public pool?

In most cases, Dickert said he envisioned a public-private partnership, like the one used to build Kids Cove on North Beach, to make improvements.

On hiring a new public health administrator: Dickert met with a search firm last week to begin searching for Janelle Grammer's replacement. The city is also reviewing the entire department and considering if it's possible to consolidate services or make other changes, he said.

On the city's housing programs: Dickert hopes to get aggressive at revamping homes in the city. "I don't want to do two or three homes per year," he said. "We want to do 20 to 30 homes per year."

To get there, Dickert said he wants to study all of the housing programs in the city for "effectiveness and efficiency."

"We want to boost successes and move away from failures," Dickert said.

He said he also planned to re-evaluate city ordinances to take on landlords who are doing a poor job maintaining their properties.

On Tom Friedel as administrator: "He's exceeded expectations." On Friedel's first day he gave Dickert an update on the search for a new public health administrator and worked on several other local issues. "With any other new administrator I would have been driving them around and saying, 'This is Downtown,' this is 'Uptown,'" Dickert said.

Dickert defended Friedel's six-year contract, which is unusual among city, village and town administrators in Wisconsin. He said the city needed "consistency and uniformity" in the coming years, especially with another mayoral election coming up in 2011. Locking in the administrator through 2015 was one to stabilize local government, Dickert said.

"This way we're not recreating the government wheel," he said.

On his new job: "It's overwhelming. I never realized how deep it would go. I love it."

As proof, the new mayor said his blood pressure, checked recently, was 106/52. The nurse said that meant he had a stress-free job. "I told her I had the best job on the planet," Dickert said.

Aldermen exchange barbs over committee's review of liquor licenses

Alderman Mike Shields accused the City Council's Public Safety and Licensing Committee Monday night of treating minority-owned bars and restaurants unfairly.

"The way they drill people of color is a problem with me," Shields said in the hallway during the committee meeting.

Shields' comments came after the committee asked Gerald Bester, an African-American businessman from Milwaukee, a series of tough questions about his plans to open a new restaurant in Uptown.

Alderman Aron Wisneski, chairman of the committee, forcefully rejected Shields' contention.

"As usual, he (Shields) didn't do his homework to make an informed decision," Wisneski said.

Wisneski said the committee asks every business that's applying for a liquor license a series of questions designed to probe the applicant's ability to run a safe business.

He acknowledged the committee is tougher than its predecessors, but said it's tougher because the council allowed people to sell alcohol without doing enough research into their backgrounds. The result: Unsafe and unruly bars that brought down the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

"Our committee is doing its job," Wisneski said. "We don't hand out licenses like candy. Liquor licenses are a serious job for our committee."

Every meeting the committee calls bars and restaurants before it to review recent police incidents in or near the establishment. License holders are typically asked to explain what happened and are given a series of actions meant to control crowds and cut down on violent incidents.

For example, the committee asks bars to install a certain type of video camera to help monitor the premises. Another common request is an electronic ID checker that forces the bars and liquor stores to scan IDs of people buying alcohol.

The committee will also ask bars to close early if police incidents are occurring after 1 a.m.

Occasionally, bars choose not to comply and turn in their liquor license. Cash Money, a former bar on S. Memorial Drive, shut down after a murder and a shooting occurred nearby.

Other times, businesses are denied. A proposed Sixth Street convenience store failed to win a liquor license because neighboring businesses were opposed.

Mostly, though, bar owners are called in, scolded for police incidents and ordered to work with the City Attorney's office to make improvements. The underlying threat is the city will pull a business's liquor license if it doesn't comply.

"We have to do a better job of making sure they're good neighbors, not bad neighbors," Wisneski said about liquor license holders. "Alcohol makes people do stupid things. Good tavern owners know how to do things responsibly. They know how to be good neighbors."

As for business owners of color, Wisneski said the committee is tough to all applicants and license holders. He pointed to a tough series of questions Karley Barcalow, who is white, went through about her new restaurant on Lathrop Ave. They were similar to the questions Bester and another applicant, who is Hispanic, had to answer Monday night. (Barcalow, who received committee approval, said after the meeting she was a little flustered by the committee's questions.)

To ensure fair treatment, Wisneski said the committee works off a list of standard questions it asks all applicants, Wisneski said.

He added that while the committee is tough, it grants most liquor license applications.

"It is very rare we deny a license," Wisneski said. "A person would have had to have committed a felony. But we take this seriously. We don't just rubber stamp applications. We have high expectations for them (license holders)."

Volunteers to build city's first special-needs-accessible playground

An overhead view of the Lockwood Park playground that will be built Aug. 15.

UPDATE: Have some time this weekend? Help build the new Lockwood Park playground. Work starts on Saturday at 8 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m. It'll start up again on Sunday at 10 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. Volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves and protective eyewear. Drinks will be provided both days and lunch will be provided on Saturday.

Questions? Contact Alderman Aron Wisneski at: aron.wisneski@cityofracine.org


ORIGINAL POST: The city's first playground designed for children with special needs will be built in Lockwood Park in August.

The new playground will include wheelchair-accessible ramps to playsets for toddlers and older children. It will also have a poured-in-place rubberized surface that's both soft and firm. The blue surface will be poured after the playground is built and will provide a padded landing in case children fall, but also a firm surface for wheelchairs to cross.

Alderman Aron Wisneski has worked on getting the playground for over a year. He and his wife are now recruiting volunteers to help build the playground on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Wisneski said the playground is accessible to all people. For example, elderly or disabled residents who may be wary about six or seven steps to reach a playset with their grandchildren will be able to walk up the ramps. The same goes for the rubberized surface. Most playground use wood chips or sand as a base, which is nearly impossible for someone in a wheelchair to cross.

"It's more accessible for everyone," Wisneski said.

The City Council agreed to spend $63,230 on the playground, which came with a matching grant from the equipment manufacturer.

The Kiwanis Club of West Racine recently donated $360.75 to the city to purchase a "Zero-G chair" (a hanging swing with harnesses) for the new playground. The Finance and Personnel Committee approved the donation Monday night.

If you're interested in volunteering to build the new Lockwood Park playground, contact Alderman Aron Wisneski at: aron.wisneski@cityofracine.org

Former public health administrator criticized for delaying progress on infant mortality program

Attorney Matthew Mac Kelly (left) with Janelle Grammer (right) at Grammer's
hearing before the City Council Tuesday evening.

Embattled Public Health Administrator Janelle Grammer's trial before the City Council continued Tuesday night with bruising testimony that portrayed the department head as a nonexistent leader who gave half-hearted support to a program to prevent baby deaths.

The entire trial is playing out in public at Grammer's request. It's a stunning move given the barrage of negative testimony that's coming her way from former employees and her former boss. But the highly personal case is open to the public, including the media.

The bulk of Tuesday evening was spent on testimony from former City Administrator Ben Hughes, who Grammer accused of intimidating her for taking Family Medical Leave. A state investigator dismissed Grammer's claim.

Hughes testified that when he was hired former Administrator Steve Nenonen described Grammer as an underperforming city employee who was "in over her head." Hughes said he drew the same conclusion after working as her boss. (The JT's story from the first day of the trial also reported criticism of Grammer's job performance.)

Grammer's attorney Matthew Mac Kelly, of Milwaukee, attempted to pick apart Hughes' testimony during a two-hour cross examination. A key point was that Hughes sent Grammer a performance evaluation while Grammer was on medical leave in December 2008.

Hughes said it was only a follow-up to previous performance evaluations and was not in any way a retaliation against Grammer.

Infant Mortality Program

Regardless of the outcome of Grammer's trial, unfortunate details were released about the lack of progress in establishing a program to reduce Racine's infant mortality rate.

Dr. Teresa Johnson, of UW-Milwaukee, testified Grammer's leadership was "nonexistent" on creating the program, despite the city receiving $500,000 from the state to run the program. Johnson worked from the beginning to establish a program to review and prevent infant deaths in Racine.

"She provided no leadership whatsoever," Johnson said of Grammer.

Johnson added Grammer "slowed down" city efforts to implement the program.

Grammer's attorney entered a RacinePost article into the record as evidence that the infant mortality program was making progress under Grammer's leadership. Our article from February 2009 quotes state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, as saying the program is "moving forward" and that he's "happy" with its progress.

As background to that story, we'd been hearing that Mason wasn't happy with the progress and that he'd been working with city officials to get the infant mortality prevention program going. That was supported by a memo from Hughes stating Grammer hadn't hired nurses for the program seven months after she was first asked to make the hires.

I've been following the infant mortality committee's work in Racine because the city has the highest infant mortality rate in the state. Mason's $500,000 grant was designed to help reduce the mortality rate (aka keeping babies alive), but there seems to be relatively minor progress for a program established over a year ago.

Fortunately, the city's Health Department is now making progress, according to monthly reports to the Board of Health. At last month's meeting, Healthy Birth Outcomes Coordinator Ana Stier reported hiring two nurses to make home visits to pregnant moms, and this month the program reported 47 home visits this year and 18 total cases.

But the program is still behind schedule, Johnson testified. The city was supposed to take over data collection responsibilities by the end of 2008, but wasn't ready to take on the job, Johnson said. Instead, UW-Milwaukee retained control of the collection and then stopped altogether, because the money ran out, she said.

Acting Public Health Administrator Marcia Fernholz said Tuesday night that the city intended to resume collecting data. She added that she's seeing progress in the infant mortality program, a fact Johnson reiterated during her testimony. Johnson said the program began moving forward once Fernholz was named acting head of the Health Department.

"She was able to provide leadership," Johnson testified about Fernholz.

But Johnson said the program has been embarrassment for the city of Racine.

"I can't tell you how many times I've had to apologize in public to state leaders," she testified.

Hearing extended

To get an idea of the unusual circumstances of Grammer's hearing, no one on the City Council can remember ever holding a similar proceeding. (Usually, departing department heads reach some kind of settlement with the city and leave without demanding a trial.)

The case comes down to the city serving as prosecutor and making the case to remove Grammer, Grammer's attorney serving as the defense, the City Council is the jury and Mayor John Dickert and City Attorney Bob Weber act as judge.

The trial began Monday night and ran three hours before continuing Tuesday night for another nearly three hours. It's hardly close to finished.

The attorney representing the city said Tuesday he had six more witnesses to call and Grammer's attorney said he intended to have Grammer testify. The City Council also needs to deliberate before making a ruling.

The trial is expected to continue Thursday evening and probably extend into Friday. Alderman Aron Wisneski suggested it should continue into Saturday, if needed.

Dickert initially suggested to the council that the trial continue on June 24th and 25th, but Alderman Bob Mozol objected, saying the case should be finished as quickly as possible. Aldermen Terry McCarthy and Wisneski backed up Mozol, the lawyers got together and agreed to push on this week. (They couldn't continue Wednesday because a meeting could not be legally posted 24 hours in advance.)

Thursday's session is expected to start earlier - probably around 5:30 p.m. - to allow more testimony to be squeezed into the evening. The trial will resume with Mac Kelly's cross examination of Dr. Johnson, followed by the city's witnesses.

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.

Racine Promise: City officials explore college funding for Racine graduates

A group of city officials are exploring a program that would pay for Racine high school graduates to attend college.

The idea is based on the Kalamazoo Promise, a program started three years ago in Kalamazoo, Mich. to attract families to the city. The program is simple: If a child graduates from a Kalamazoo High School, their tuition is paid to any Michigan university or tech school. That could amount to $36,000 for a student attending the University of Michigan. The only requirement is that a student maintains a 2.0 GPA and makes continual progress toward their high school diploma.

Aldermen Aron Wisneski and Greg Helding, and City Administrator Ben Hughes, are seeking two $8,000 grants to study creating a similar program here. The City Council is expected to grant permission to pursue the grant on Wednesday.

Click below to read city Grant Facilitator Debbi Embry's explanation of the grant, and long-term thinking about a "Racine Promise" program.

October 16, 2008


Mayor Gary Becker
And Common Council
Racine, WI 53403

Your Honor and Aldermen:

I respectfully request to appear before the appropriate committee to discuss our request to apply to the United Way of Racine County to request $8,000 for a “Racine Promise Study”. The Finance Department has been contacted for coordination, and the grant control number is 2008-039.

Last Spring Aldermen Wisneski and Helding, and City Administrator, Ben Hughes began investigating “Kalamazoo Promise”, a scholarship program created in 2005 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The “Kalamazoo Promise” scholarship program provides four years of tuition and fees at any public college or university in Michigan for students who have attended Kalamazoo Public Schools. The “Kalamazoo Promise” is unique in its scope and basis. While most other scholarship programs are based on merit or need, the “Kalamazoo Promise” is based only on location. The program seeks to remove the financial barriers to enrolling in college for those students who have attended Kalamazoo schools and lived within its boundaries for at least the four years of high school.

The impact “Racine Promise” would have on our community is tremendous:

1. Since all students are eligible for the reimbursement of tuition and fees regardless of financial means, the program also seeks to transform the school district by focusing on ensuring that all students are prepared for a postsecondary education.

2. The direct contribution of the scholarship program lowers the cost of postsecondary education, thereby increasing incentives for high school graduation, college attendance, and college completion.

3. Among its broader outcome, it is anticipated that this program will lead to a more educated workforce, higher overall earnings for graduates, greater disposable income for local families, and improvements in the local economy and housing market.

4. An impetus for regional economic development. Economic experts hope that the scholarship will entice more middle class families, who would otherwise sacrifice income to save for college tuition, to stay in or move to the area. Local business, public relations, and real estate experts can use the Promise as a tool to attract businesses to relocate and invest in Racine.

5. The potential increase in available jobs would also serve to attract new residents to the area, but more importantly it would provide income for existing residents as well.

6. Even surrounding areas that would not benefit directly from the scholarships would foresee economic growth in commerce and entertainment industries.
There is no match requirement.


Sincerely,


Deborah L. Embry, MBA
Grants Facilitator

City moves closer to approving electric vehicles

Aldermen Greg Helding and Aron Wisneski put out this release today:

Racine is one step away from allowing the operation of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs). On Tuesday, May 6th, at 5:30 PM, there will be a brief press conference and demonstration in front of City Hall, 730 Washington Ave, Racine, WI. Tim Thompson, from Green Autos in Janesville will be demonstrating a ZENN Motors NEV. Aldermen Greg Helding and Aron Wisneski will be available to answer questions about the proposed ordinance, which allows the operation of NEVs in Racine, provided they are properly licensed with the state and stay on roadways with speed limits of 35 MPH or less. The ordinance is scheduled for a public hearing and adoption at 7PM that same night.

Having just seen the movie, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" over the weekend, I'll admit to being a big fan of these cars (not a big enough fan to buy one, though). Let's hope the company finds enough success to build bigger, faster, better electric cars in the near future.

Here's our original article on the ZENN.

Cool as the ZENN may be, how about one of these?

This looks promising ... link

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.

City's 12th District candidates spending big

Money is flowing in the race for the City Council's 12th District.

Incumbent Aron Wisneski and challenger Joey LeGath have raised the most money among candidates for city office this spring, according to the March 24 campaign finance reports.

Wisneski, finishing his first term, raised $2,959 year-to-date and has over $2,000 to spend in the closing days of the election. He had the most individual contributions of all candidates, receiving donations from 16 individuals.

LeGath, who owns three bars, raised $6,295 year-to-date and spent $2,562.06 through March 24, leaving him over $3,700 to spend before Tuesday's election. LeGath gave his own campaign $4,000.

Ken Lumpkin has spent $2,278 so far in his race with Jim Kaplan for the council's Fourth District. Kaplan has spent $174.50 so far. Lumpkin and Kaplan are also running for the County Board.

Troy Johnson has spent $1,775 in a race for the Ninth District seat vacated by Pete Karas. His opponent, Terry McCarthy, has spent $223.53. Johnson and Wisneski had several donors in common on their reports.

And, challenger Jameel Ghuari is outspending Bob Anderson in the Second District. Ghuari has raised and spent $791, nearly five times as much as Anderson.

Local candidates are required to file a pre-election campaign finance report with the City Clerk by March 24. Another report is due after the election.

Here's a recap of each candidate's campaign finance report:

District 2

Bob Anderson

Contributions - $200
Expenses - $169.76
Balance - $30.24

Jameel Ghuari

Contributions - $791.67
Expenses - $791.67
Balance - $0
* $30 contribution from Donnie Snow

District 4

Jim Kaplan

Contributions - $418.28
Expenses - $174.50
Balance - $243.78
* $100 contribution from the First District GOP

Ken Lumpkin

Contributions - $2,278
Expenses - $2,278
Balance - $0
* Campaign finance report filed three days late

District 6

Sandy Weidner
* Reported no campaign activity

District 8

Q.A. Shakoor II
* No report filed; expected to file no campaign activity

District 9

Terry McCarthy

Contributions - $300
Expenses - $223.53
Balance - $81.47

Troy Johnson

Contributions - $1,775
Expenses - $317.25
Balance - $1,457.75
* 16 contributions

District 10

Tom Friedel
* Reported no campaign activity

District 12

Aron Wisneski

Contributions - $2,959
Expenses - $893
Balance - $2,066
* Citizens for Helding gave Wisneski $100

Joey LeGath

Contributions - $6,295
Expenses - $2,562.06
Balance - $3,739.94
* $200 from the Wisconsin Peoples Conference

District 14

Ronald Hart
* Reported no campaign activity