New Mt. Pleasant Village Board says no to Milkie

Mt. Pleasant voters spoke -- loudly -- on April 6, soundly booting two incumbents off the Village board and defeating one challenger.

But it appeared that Board President Carolyn Milkie didn't get the message. She attempted at Monday night's board meeting to appoint the three losers -- incumbents John Hewitt and Ken Flones and last-place finisher Todd Stillman -- onto voting positions on village committees.

Not gonna happen.

Milkie's attempt to appoint the three to village committees was rejected by a 4-1 vote of the newly constituted Village Board, with one abstention and one trustee absent. Instead, the new board majority asked Milkie to come up with different nominees for later approval by the board, appointments that don't "contradict the will of the voters."

Trustee Karen Albeck introduced the motion, and was joined by trustees Harry Manning, Gary Feest and Jerry Garski.  Trustee Ingrid Tiegel abstained without comment.  Manning was the lone incumbent of three on the ballot to win re-election on April 6; Feest led the six-man field.

Whether this new board majority will up-end any more village decisions -- for example, something to do with the new $17 million village hall "campus" the two newly-elected trustees oppose -- remains to be seen.

Albeck provided a copy of her motion and explanation to the clerk for inclusion in the minutes. Here's what it said:

Any time individuals put themselves forth as candidates for public office, they are giving the voters an opportunity to do one of two things…. to elect the person, or to not elect the person to be a member of a governing body.

Last year at this time I had the same concerns which I have this evening.

When the voters have chosen not to elect specific candidates, then I feel it is highly inappropriate for those same candidates to be nominated to Village committees. Such appointments contradict the will of the voters. This year, the voters made very clear choices with regard to those individuals that they did, and did not, wish to be represented by. Placing the unsuccessful candidates on committees where they will be voting on and making recommendations for Village action is insulting to the voters and is just plain wrong.

I do recognize that individuals who failed to be elected may have worthwhile knowledge to share at the Committee and Village level. Certainly, they should be welcomed at meetings, and encouraged to share their expertise. However, they should not be appointed to voting member positions.

I am grateful to all of the Citizens who have in the past or will in the future provide their service to the Village on various Committees. However, we all know that there are not a lot of those Committee appointments to go around. We have often talked about the need to involve more people in the Village’s duties and operations. Surely in keeping with that we should be providing opportunities for different people to serve.

Therefore, I encourage other Trustees to join me in approving all committee appointments except the four I listed, and urge the Chair to come forward with different recommendations for those four Committee positions.

Samm the ham gets a 60-day extension from planners

Cameras aim at Jim and Samm Markstrom, flanking their attorney, Mark Hazelbaker

Samm the ham got his day in court Wednesday ... well, his day before the Mt. Pleasant Planning Commission ... and won a 60-day reprieve for the ham radio tower in his backyard.

Although his lawyer admitted the proper permits were not obtained -- "Sometimes, there's miscommunication between client and contractor," said Atty. Mark Hazelbaker of Madison -- the argument came down to two issues: Who has the right to specify the height of a ham radio tower, and is the one built by Samm's parents sufficiently sturdy and safe.

The Planning Commission, aware of the scrutiny they were under by half a dozen TV cameras and news media reporters in the meeting room, voted unanimously to give Samm, left, and his parents, Jim and Cathy Markstrom, 60 days to produce documentation from their contractor that the tower -- too tall for their home's small lot -- is safe. Hazelbaker produced a histogram showing the rarity of tower collapses, and the unlikelihood of it causing any real harm even if it did fall, but the Planning Commission is looking for further reassurance, and an onsite inspection.

When it was suggested that the radio tower not be raised to its full height, Samm gave an impromptu lesson to the commission, explaining how lesser height would not only make the tower less effective, but would cause more interference for neighbors.

"Everyone wants a safe antenna here," said Hazelbaker.

After the meeting was over, Samm was interviewed by a number of area TV stations. He said he was happy with the outcome, but -- in a way that only a 10-year-old can -- cut right to the chase: "It's stupid," he said. "We have an inch-and-a-half stack of paperwork." He said he had been "kind of nervous" before the hearing, and said the commissioners "would understand this better if they'd get the manuals."

Mother Cathy said, "They just weren't prepared for the laws of physics." She said she was "really proud" of how Samm handled the hearing.

Links to some of Samm's TV interviews are here, on his Facebook page.

Mt. Pleasant math: $10 million is really how much?

So, exactly how much will Mt. Pleasant's new Village Hall / Police Department cost?

The Journal Times leads today's paper with the big headline:

Mount Pleasant Village Board Approves

$10.25 million campus

$10 million donation will cover most of construction

Which would lead one to believe that the Village Board finally came to its senses and decided to build a new Village Hall within the "confines" of the anonymous $10 million donation given to it for that purpose.

Au contraire, mon petite cherie!

Read beyond the headline, dear reader, into the forest of the fine print, where you'll learn again about the $4 million spent buying land for the new complex (this money will mostly come from the sale of the present village hall site); $2.9 million (to be borrowed) to equip the new police station and village hall; and another $166,000 - $263,000 or so needed to equip the "shell" of a police firing range included -- at a cost of about $250,000 -- within the complex (this will come from "donations," according to the police chief).

Old math thus puts the cost of the new Village "campus" at closer to $17 million than the $10 million figure cited -- or $13 million if you factor out the old village hall's sale proceeds; the same $13.5+ million figure the board contentiously OK'd six months ago. With haggling over the few hundred thousand for the firing range the only real argument. But, hey, it's only money.

Update: As the comments below remind me -- along with a call from Trustee Harry Manning, lone survivor in last week's election, no doubt for his efforts to rein in the spending on this Taj -- there's also the question of how much the village will spend relocating the Department of Public Works.  All in all, the latest number Manning quotes is $24 million. Hopefully, that's on the high side as the two newly elected trustees wield their mandate to cut the cost.

Mount Pleasant to host half marathon this spring

Dean Reinke

No doubt, Dean Reinke loves to run. But he loves getting other people to run even more.

The founder of Reinke Sports Group will do his part to get local residents to lace up their running shoes with the Mount Pleasant Half-Marathon next spring.

The 13.1-mile race, which will start and end at Case High School, is expected to draw 1,000 runners in its first year with the goal of drawing as many as 5,000 runners in five years. Scheduled for April 10, the half marathon is part of a national circuit of races run by Reinke Sports Group.

"The half marathon is really the new marathon," Reinke said. "It's exploding in popularity, especially among women. It's a phenomenal accomplishment to go 13 miles."

(Right: Brennan Kane, deputy director of planning and development, shows the route for the Mount Pleasant Half Marathon.)

Reinke was in Mount Pleasant Wednesday to introduce the race, which he described as a major event that will help the village establish its identity as a community.

"I'm cautiously optimistic ... that in five years this will be one of the largest half marathons in the Midwest," he said.

Reinke plans to market the race in a 300-mile radius that includes eight states. Along with the half marathon, the event will include a 5K run and a 1-mile fun run, plus live music and entertainment following the races. 150 medals will be given out for finishers in different age groups and categories, Reinke said. Money won't be offered to race winners, in part because the half marathon is focused on participation, not elite competition, he said.

"Our goal isn't to create a world-class event," Reinke said. "It's to create a mass participation event."

The race is sponsored locally by Razor Sharp Fitness, which will offer training classes for people who want to compete in the race. Reinke said 6 months is enough time for people to train for the half marathon or the 5K, depending on fitness level.

Brennan Kane, deputy director of planning and development for Mount Pleasant, mapped out the 13.1-mile race. The race starts at Case and makes a rough loop west on Stuart Road, north to Highway K, down to Emmertsen Road and back to Case for a victory lap around the track. The route includes a stretch on the village's Pike River Pathway.

The half marathon is the latest big-time athletic event hosted by the Racine area. Dave Blank (left), president and CEO of the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Racine's triathlon, pro beach volleyball stop and three on three soccer tournament have established the area as a capable host for events.

"Our reputation is we put on a high-class event," Blank said.

He added that organizers expect the race to support Racine's major summer race - the Lighthouse Run. The races are two months apart and runners will have plenty of time to recover if they want to do both.

"This should in no way hinder the Lighthouse Run," Blank said. "It will add to the greater running community."

Running communities is something Reinke knows about. An elite runner at Indiana University (he ran a 4:02 mile and a 2-hour, 24-minute marathon), Reinke got started organizing community races on weekends as a grad student.

Over time he developed his love for running - and getting others to run - into a company that announced a nationwide half-marathon circuit last month. (Along with organizing races, Reinke still runs every day - sometimes at 3 in the morning, if that's the only time he has available."

"I've been fortunate to pursue my passion and make it a part of my life," he said.

Here's background info on Reinke's half-marathon circuit. A website for the race will be launched this week.

90th Street Expansion paves way for new Mount Pleasant municipal building

By Heather Asiyanbi

In order for Mount Pleasant to get busy on its new municipal campus just northeast of Highway 20 and 90th Street, the latter avenue has to be expanded.

According to both Village Administrator Mike Andreasen and Engineer Jeff Sykes of Crispell Snyder, the $1 million road project, while a separate project, is the first step to developing the 90th Street property for the municipal campus.

Because the road is located within a tax incremental financing district (TID), those special funds are available to fund the cost.

The goal is to eventually connect 90th street so it runs continuously from Spring Street to Highway KR, though that depends on getting right-of-way from Heartland Village at the north end of the street. Heartland Village is the developer of a community of Arts & Crafts style homes along Old Spring Street near Highway H. 90th Street currently ends a few hundred feet north of Highway 20.

"This is a major north-south arterial," Sykes pointed out. "It could serve as a nice alternative to taking Highway 31, which can be very congested at certain times of the day, or Highway H as it runs through the Renaissance Business Park."

Infrastructure like water, stormwater, sewer - anything that involves a service pipe - is expected to complete by mid-November. The goal is to have at least a gravel road in by winter for access to the new village hall site. Construction on that new building is expected to begin in the spring with possibly completion by the end of 2010 or very early in 2011. The current village hall property at the corner of Highways 11 and 31 is for sale.

New face on the Mount Pleasant Village Board

There's a new face on the Mount Pleasant Village Board.

Ingrid Tiegel, who received 1,626 votes, retained her seat, which she was appointed to. Sonny Havn also retained his trustee seat with 1,903 votes. But it was newcomer Karen Albeck with the high-vote total at 1,906.

Albeck ran on the platform of controlling spending. She pointed out that while Mount Pleasant taxes went up 9% in the last two years, in the same time period Mount Pleasant debt went up 18%.

Robert Strausser, Matthew Stehling and previous Mount Pleasant trustee Robin Garard finished in the bottom three and were not elected to the board.

Village President Carolyn Milkie ran unopposed and was re-elected for another two-year term.

Kim Forsman, who gave Clerk/Treasurer Juliet Edmands competition for the first time. Edmands defeated Forsman 2,068 to 1,313.

The above results as well as the following are unofficial totals from Tuesday night:

Stehling 874
* Havn 1903
Strausser 1178
* Albeck 1906
Garard 1565
* Tiegel 1626
write in 13
------------------------
Village Clerk/Treasurer
Edmands 2068
Forsman 1313
------------------------
Village President

Milkie 2530
write in 78

Edmands seeks third term as Mount Pleasant clerk/treasurer

Mount Pleasant's clerk/treasurer Juliet Edmands is seeking re-election this spring.

Edmands, seeking her third four-year term, is being challenged by Kim Forsman. Edmands has worked for the village since 1993 and is a certified municipal clerk and treasurer through professional organizations.

Edmands sits on the Racine County Convention and Visitors Board and was a key organizers of the Kids Connection Playground in 2000. The group raised $220,000 for the project in the Caledonia-Mount Pleasant Joint Park.

Edmands is a life-long Racine County resident interested in Community Beautification Projects. She's an advocate for Mount Pleasant receiving its own zip code and post office.

In her job, she edits the village's newsletter, handles records requests, manages the tax roll and runs elections. Part of her election duties include managing a staff of 120 election workers.

The Mount Pleasant clerk/treasurer election is on April 7.

Forsman running for Mount Pleasant clerk/treasurer

Kim Forsman is challenging incumbent Juliet Edmands for Mount Pleasant clerk/treasurer in the April 7 spring elections.

Forsman is running on these issues:

1. The village's election process needs to be more efficient.
2. The village's records Management system is broken, important records are lost.
3. Village records don't seem to be open.
4. Customer service needs to be a priority.

If elected, Forsman said she would develop and document processes and procedures for records management, the election process and customer service by:

1. Streamlining the election process to make it more efficient.
2. Utilizing technology already in place to publish and maintain records, making it easier for residents to locate the information needed.
3. Developing and documenting processes so records don't get lost.
4. Developing and documenting procedures to save time locating records by utilizing technology already in place.
5. Working with the County Clerk and Village/City Clerks within Racine County and the State of Wisconsin.
6. Working with the County Treasurer.
7. Creating a welcoming atmosphere. "We are here to serve."
8. Using her gifts and talents to help people.

Forsman is a life-long Racine resident who has lived in Mount Pleasant for the last 13 years. She has an associates degree in business management. She is married and has two children.

For more information about Forsman's campaign: visit http://www.forsman4clerktreasurer.com

Pritchard Park's buckthorn meets its match

The fog lay heavy and damp over Pritchard Park this morning. Underfoot, some snow and ice, but mostly mud. Leaves and lawn mixed with melted snow make walking anywhere off the pavement a treacherous experience, marked by soggy footprints.

Still, a peaceful place for a solitary stroll ... but what's that sound? Chainsaws!

The saws shouldn't come as a surprise. Around the park's perimeter, especially visible around the picnic area, are huge piles of brush, some of them eight to ten feet tall, 30 to 40 feet long.

Buckthorn!

Is this a major Parks Department cleanup? Not hardly. It's all being accomplished by volunteer labor: two retirees who saw a problem and brought a solution. Dick Ehlert, a retired Unified guidance counselor, started the job on his own last year. Then Bernie Mann, a Case retiree, spotted him, and brought his own chainsaw. Now they work together, for two or three hours a morning, cutting and hauling and stacking.

Buckthorn is a Eurasian tree/bush that came over to the U.S. in the 1880s, an invasive species clearly capable of taking over the woods. "Some of them get pretty-good sized -- 8" to 10" in diameter, 30 feet tall," said Bernie. "It can take over." But not at Pritchard Park, if the two men have anything to say about it.

Occasionally, people will come by and see what the two are doing and question their right to attack Pritchard Park's "trees" with chainsaws. But Dick is ready for them. "I have a letter in my car from the County, giving us permission," he said, "and as soon as I show them that, everything's OK."

Once they've cut down the buckthorn, Dick paints the stumps with Roundup, a pesticide. "If you don't do that, then one stump becomes eight more buckthorn trees," he said. County crews come by and haul off, and burn, the brush they cut and stack.

The two started cutting in the section of Pritchard Park at the corner of Ohio and Durand last fall. "Bernie's optimistic that we'll be through this section by the end of Spring," Dick said. Then they'll start on another section of the park. No rest for the chainsaws.

Bernie Mann, left, and Dick Ehlert

Colorful currency? There's a catch...

U.S. currency is changing, and the new $5 bill has some light purple on it. But some bills floating around Mount Pleasant may have even more than that: the money was taken Monday in a bank robbery and then stained when a dye pack exploded.

Mount Pleasant Police responded to a robbery this morning at the Guaranty Bank, 6031 Regency West Drive. According to the police, "a female/black suspect implied she had a weapon" and got away with some money. But a dye pack exploded.

The suspect got away in a car driven by a second woman, who later turned herself in to the Racine Police and was not charged with anything. Angie V. Ford, 44, of Racine was subsequently arrested for robbery.

But more about that stained money: "It is believed that some of the money from the robbery had been either dropped or lost from the suspect auto, near the bank, and may still be stained from the dye pack explosion. Anyone locating any of the money, or any witnesses to this incident are asked to contact the Mt. Pleasant Police Department Investigative Bureau, 884-0454."

Finders, keepers? Not hardly.

Spring Elections: Local candidates running for office

Wednesday was the filing deadline for candidates running for local offices. Below is the list of who is running in Racine, Mount Pleasant, Caledonia and for the County Board. The primary election is February 20. The general election is April 3.

Here's the list:

Racine

This is almost the same list we ran last week. Two of the potential candidates didn't turn in signatures. That leaves three contested elections, and one newcomer.

Terry McCarthy, who narrowly lost to Pete Karas last year, will takeover for Karas in the ninth aldermanic district. Karas, an insurance agent, abruptly resigned after learning about an obscure state law that prohibits elected officials from doing business with anyone who has a liquor license.

The two hot races will come in the second and fourth districts. In the second, incumbent Robert Anderson is being challenged by Jameel Ghuari, who is head of the Bray Center. In the fourth district, incumbent James Kaplan is being challenged by Ken Lumpkin, who is a County Board supervisor. Kaplan returned the favor and is challenging Lumpkin for his County Board seat.

In the 12th District, incumbent Aron Wisneski is being challenged by Joseph Legath.

Incumbents Sandy Weidner, Q.A. Shakoor, Tom Friedel and Ron Hart were not challenged for re-election.

A complete list of city, county, Caledonia and Mount Pleasant races after the jump.



Here's the list of city races:

Second District
Robert Anderson (i)
Jameel Ghuari

Fourth District
James Kaplan (i)
Ken Lumpkin

Sixth District
Sandy Weidner

Eighth District
Q.A. Shakoor

Ninth District
Terry McCarthy

10th District
Tom Friedel

12th District
Aron Wisneski
Joseph Legath

14th District
Ron Hart

County Board
All 23 seats of the County Board seats are up for election this spring. Seven of the races are contested. Here's who is running:

District 1
Donnie Snow

District 2
Gaynell Dyess

District 3
Diane Lange (i)
Lou D'Abbraccio

District 4
Ken Lumpkin (i)
Jim Kaplan

District 5
Karen Nelson (i)
Lisa Van Koningsveld

District 6
Pamela Zenner-Richards

District 7
Van Wangaard

District 8
Q.A. Shakoor

District 9
Dan Sharkozy

District 10
Russell Clark (i)
Mary Land

District 11
Katherine Buske

District 12
Robert Miller

District 13
Mark Gleason (i)
Scott Schroder

District 14
Mike Miklasevich

District 15
Ken Hall (i)
Brian Dey

District 16
John Wisch (i)
Melissa Taylor

District 17
Robert Grove

District 18
Peter Hansen

District 19
Joseph Bellante, Jr.

District 20
Jeff Halbach

District 21
Gilbert Bakke

District 22
Tom Pringle

District 23
Mike Dawson

Mount Pleasant

There will be a primary election in Mount Pleasant, as eight candidates compete for three open seats on the Village Board. Trustees make $6,500 per year and serve two-year terms. Here's who's running:

Incumbents: Ken Flones, 1332 N. Stuart Rd., Robin Garard, 2340 Rivershore Dr., and John Hewitt 11219 Louis Sorenson Rd.

Non-incumbents: Harry Manning, 5824 Evarit Dr, Don Schulz, 811 Hwy V, Ruth Gedwardt, 5815 16th St., Charles Haakma, 4700 Spring St. and Robert Strausser, 2701 Cozy Acres Rd.

Caledonia

There are two contested races in Caledonia, where candidates serve two-year terms and make $6,600 per year. Here's the candidates:

Village Trustee #2 – 2 year term
Wendy McCalvy (incumbent)
5400 - 6 Mile Road
Racine, WI 53402

Kathy Burton
5825 Leawood Lane
Racine, WI 53402

Village Trustee #4 – 2 year term
Gale Morgan (incumbent)
6951 Beechnut Drive
Racine, WI 53402

Matthew Schmidt
6765 Bobolink Road
Racine, WI 53402

Village Trustee #6 – 2 year term
Lee Wishau (incumbent)
8345 Foley Road
Racine, WI 53402

Racine, Mount Pleasant officials discuss border deal

UPDATE: The JT followed our tip and is on the story. They interviewed Becker and Mount Pleasant President Carolyn Milkie and found that the communities want to "straighten out" their borders. As our commenters have pointed out, the issue is more likely centered around high-crime neighborhoods that the village doesn't want to deal with any more. But at what price will Racine take on these resource-intensive areas? Perhaps the former Case plant?

Original post:

Racine Mayor Gary Becker and Mount Pleasant officials are meeting to discuss changes to the communities' borders.

Preliminary talks would "straighten out" the borders between the communities and possibly result in the city receiving more land in exchange for taking on high-crime areas that are currently in the village.

The discussions are preliminary and no decisions have been made on the borders. City Council members have been asked not to discuss the matter with the media.

Mount Pleasant official chides local website at public meeting

It seems the citizen journalists over at Mount Pleasant Citizen are getting on the nerves of village officials.

The village took the website to task in its official newsletter and attacked the group at a public meeting. The most recent run-in came over the Village Board's decision to award former board member Ed Potter a 3-year, $417,300 contract to become Mount Pleasant's new tax assessor.

The Citizen had questioned whether Potter made the low bid and dug up some documents suggesting he wasn't. Turns out, village officials verbally added another requirement onto the bid process without making the change public. The change made Potter the low-bidder and set off Village Administrator Mike Andreason at a recent meeting.

Here's how the Citizen reported it:

Mr. Andreasen took the opportunity to publicly chide the Mount Pleasant Citizen for what he called "inaccurate information" on the website. Said Andreasen "The Mount Pleasant Citizen chose to report a cost not consistent with the service level used in the comparisons presented to you this evening."

Mr. Andreasen chose not to disclose that representatives from MP Citizen asked him for a meeting to discuss and clarify the bidding before releasing the website article, but Andreasen declined to meet.

First, there is nothing to suggest Potter will be anything but professional and competent as village assessor. But being a former board member, his bid should be given close scrutiny by an independent news source. The Citizen is filling the gaping hole left by the JT's abandonment of Mount Pleasant.

Second, it's a compliment to the Citizen that village officials are taking them seriously enough to address so publicly. It's a strong local website ... we could use more like them. Keep up the good work, Mike!

Of secrets, perception and the catbird seat

These are good times for Gordy Kacala, executive director of RCEDC.

He has secrets to keep.

After almost three decades working to enhance the economic development of Racine County, Kacala is busy bringing together developers, communities and landowners – all (hopefully!) to provide tax base, jobs and services for county residents.

How many secrets is Kacala holding close right now? More than 1.5 million of them -- if each square foot of soon-to-be-announced construction is counted as a secret.

Kacala really wants to take me into his confidence; he gives hints, lets me guess wrong once or twice, helps me narrow it down. Then, when I finally come up with the right company behind an upcoming project, he swears me to secrecy, alas.

In the past month, three large projects have been announced: a 380,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Sturtevant, and two warehouses totalling 420,000 sq. ft. in Mount Pleasant.

These, encompassing 126 acres, are just the tip of the iceberg. There are approximately 900 acres of business-industrial potential just in the narrow corridor between Highways 11 and 20, and I-94 and Hwy. V.


The 900-acre figure is significant in light of a 2005 SEWRPC study which examined all developable land in existing industrial/business parks in Racine County. The study concluded that less than 500 available acres met seven key criteria (streets, sewers, buildable, etc.) in the entire county.

Expect a major announcement from that other end of the county soon. (Hint: “Burlington is our hottest community.”)

Which still leaves more than 1 million square-feet of development in Kacala's pipeline.

“I'm surprised by the size; they're huge,” Kacala says. “We're back to large facilities. Companies are centralizing their regional focus.”

But why should we care about warehouses when it's really manufacturing jobs we want and need?

Kacala lets me know, in no uncertain terms. (He tells me the same question was asked by a certain reporter I consider dumber than a rock. I am mortified.)

“Warehouse-distribution centers are good for three reasons: They bring tax base; given our location they're an understandable use; and, finally, because of changes in manufacturing and out-sourcing, this is the way business is done today.”

Get the warehouse, and it “solidifies” a company's presence. “Warehousing and manufacturing go together,” he says.

Furthermore, “If people see things happening, it will change perceptions,” he says. “We've got to change the minds of people who live here first.”

There's another, less-benign reason why we should be glad developers are building distribution warehouses here: Our existing labor force isn't ready for manufacturing jobs.

Yes, the city of Racine has an 8.6% unemployment rate (the rest of the county is about half that). But Kacala cites the 2000 Census, which showed that 42% of males age 18-24 don't have a high school education. A sobering statistic.

That was six years ago; Kacala estimates the figure might hold true today for 18-28-year-olds, or 18-30's. Two local companies, he says, “bought robots because they can't find trained people.”

“We're competing with China,” he says.

Pointing to the small amount of newly available industrial land within the city, the former Jacobsen-Textron site, Kacala says: “It's not the availability of land that's the problem, it's the labor force.” He's had to deliver that unhappy message to a number of inner-city organizations seeking jobs for their constituents. Education is the key.

The development is coming; if we don't improve our own labor force, Kacala says, more than a million workers live in the I-94 corridor, from Lake County to Milwaukee; “relatively good commuting distance.”

Development will provide a range of jobs. Yes, warehouse jobs are at the lower end, but it's all we can now fill.

“If we get the businesses here, and unemployment is still 10%, then we've (failed) big-time.”

Today, “every location within a softball throw of Milwaukee is developed.”

Kacala says he receives one or two development inquiries a week, and 10-15% of those turn out to become projects we have a shot at. “Fifty-two a year; if you get 10 of those, that's pretty substantial.”

For now, Racine County is in the catbird seat.

PROPERTY TRANSFERS: Norway home sells for a bargain at $832,000

The big deal of the week was an $832,000 home at 4395 Southdown Drive in Norway. The five-bedroom, 4.5 bath home was listed at $895,000 by Century 21. It had been on the market for more than 30 days.

The listing for it described the 3,000 square-foot home as being in a secluded, park-like setting. The home has oversized windows overlooking a pond surrounded by professionally landscaped grounds. It also includes a deck overlooking three ponds on 10 acres.


View Larger Map

In Racine, the big seller on a slow week, with just 30 transfers countywide, was a $285,000 home at 205 Lombard Ave. The three-bedroom, three-bath located near Lake Michigan at Lombard and Michigan Blvd. had been on the market for more than 30 days. It had a list price of $299,000.


View Larger Map

On the opposite end, the low seller of the week was an $18,000 home at 1709 Linden Ave. in Racine. The home was owned by Thomas Nelson and assessed at $72,000 last year.


View Larger Map

Mount Pleasant building sells for $3.95 million

A commercial office building at 5439 Durand Ave. in Mount Pleasant sold on Oct. 11 for $3.95 million (click here for this week's property transfers).

The building sits on 2.83 acres of land at the corner of Durand and Wood Road across from Regency Mall. Current business there include Associated Bank, Habush, Habush & Rottier law firm, Tiferet Family Chiropractic, Investment Securities, and Enhanced Radiology.

The building was assessed at $2.9 million last year and the previous owner, Daniel Genzel of Pewaukee, paid $45,780.67 in property taxes.

For the week, there were 72 property transfers in Racine County with a median sale price of $165,000. Here are the weekly averages broken down by community and the number of transaction for each community:

Weekly Averages (# of property transfers)

Burlington - $183,892.31 (13)
Caledonia - $277,950.00 (6)
Dover - $164,950.00 (2)
Elmwood Park - $0 (0)
Mount Pleasant - $505,156.93 (14)
Norway - $247,000.00 (2)
Racine - $85,275.00 (25)
Rochester - $221,450.00 (2)
Sturtevant - $239,186.33 (3)
Union Grove - $278,327.00 (1)
Waterford - $230,500.00 (2)
Yorkville - $352,500.00 (1)

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.

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.