Haven't blogged in quite some time.  No particular reason, but mostly I haven't been inspired, letting the blog wither on the vine. 

Onward.

Peabody's is closing on Silver Spring and moving to Brown Deer by the end of May.  No word on what might replace their large footprint.

I visited Sport n' Cuts, which opened at the end of February next to What's Poppin'.

Honestly, the interior is spectacular.  The barber chairs alone are incredible .. looks like they've been ripped out of a Rolls Royce, with tight black leather and burlwood arms.  Each barber station has its own TV.

Customers receive a complimentary soda/coffee, and popcorn while they wait.  They can play a game of pool on the table in the back.  

The men's haircut is $24.95, which includes hot towels & massage.   They are running a welcome-to-the block special, so tell 'em you read this on the blog, and they'll knock $5 off your first cut.

Interestingly .. the price for kids is $14.95 .. which is competes with Just Kidding's $19.50 cut. 

A couple other Village Hall items:

The CDA meets tonight (March 10, 7pm) to discuss 3 interesting items:

• A "Presentation by business potentially interested in property on the north side of Silver Spring between Lydell and Bay Ridge."  -- That's the Bailey Law Office building and its parking lot.  
   
• Discussion on changing WFB's sign codes.  At the Trustee level, we've seen some high-level suggestions for altering the sign code, of which, dozens (yes, dozens) of merchants are afoul, some of whom have been issued municipal late fees of over $30k last year for their violations.  The WFB BID and Building Inspector will present suggestions to relax some of the more onerous codes.
• The CDA will also look at the possibility of allowing an antenna pole in the municipal parking lot behind the Fox-Bay.  These cell phone/internet towers are a giant source of revenue for the Village, with expected cash flow of $100k/year.
  
  For some context on what $100k means to the Village .. we're always interested in development, right?  With the Village's mill rate of $5.04, erecting a tower that generates $100k per year is the equivalent of having a $19.8m building constructed -- or fifty $400k new houses built.
  
  The price to pay for that revenue is that this "monopole" will tower over Silver Spring, clearly visible for blocks.   Will we get used to it?  Maybe.   
  
  On the other hand, hello 5-bars on your cell phone. 

Subscribe via email.  Free, of course.  Just click here, and you can have WFB news delivered to your email box whenever it's updated.

Make sure to read:

• El Guapo!
• WFB Budget Passes - No one at Public Hearing
• Reminder .. Lock your doors.
• WFB Budget
  
• Referendum Recap
• Ice Cream, Facebook and WFB Websites
  
• WFB Recycling
  

First up, the highlight of yesterday's Trustee meeting was that WFB participated in a sale of bonds.  One was a re-funding of higher-rate bonds to lower, saving the Village $335k at a paltry 2.7% interest rate, near the 42-year low for rates.   Amazing.

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The Civic Foundation is hosting a new event in 2010 .. the First Annual Skate Date at Cahill Ice Rink this Saturday, Jan. 23, starting at 4pm.

From 5-6pm, the First Annual WFB Broom Ball Bowl will commence.  (Ok, I made that up.  But there will be broom ball games at 5pm.)

The Civic Foundation will provide brooms & ball as well as hot water and hot chocolate mix. Bowls, spoons, and napkins will also be available for residents who bring their own pot of chili to eat.  (Which reminds me, if you've ever wanted to make home-made "Real Chili" here's a link to a few recipes -- we've made #2 several times.  It's not exactly Real Chili, but it's close enough.)

Hopefully, the ice rink will stay frozen for this new Civic Foundation event.

Here's the Facebook event link, and please join the Civic Foundation Group, if you're a Facebook fan.

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Do you use the Whitefish Bay Library?

The Library Board wants your input on their long-range plan.  Click here to take a moment and fill their survey. 

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Finally, Bay Ball is going to happen this year on Friday June 4th at the new Harley Museum.

Pulling off the Bay Ball takes a load of volunteers.  If you could help out with publicity, raffles, logistics, baskets, reservations .. whatever, please drop an email to one of these co-chairs:

Joe & Lori Kampschroer:  lkamp@att.net

Larry & Rega Plaster:  regap@sbcglobal.net

Michael Pyter & Mary Beth Jacobs: mjacobs10@wi.rr.com

Hello?  Is this thing on?    There hasn't been much to blog about since the holidays, so this is the first blog post of 2010 .. and it's a grab-bag.

Grab Bag Story Number 1:  Trick or Treat

The JS has an interesting story about Milwaukee County municipalities discussing Trick-or-Treating times, with local City Mayors and Village Presidents at their monthly meeting .. some suburbs want a unified time, so that children from other cities stay in their own city to Trick or Treat.

Marauding, candy-hoarding kids descending on the suburbs by the vanload? For trick-or-treating? Where are all the mayors and the village presidents in the face of this debauchery?

They plan to tackle the problem Monday - 9 1/2 months before Halloween.

On Monday .. the Milwaukee County mayors and village presidents will discuss trick-or-treating at their monthly meeting. At their last meeting, they discussed a proposal to have it on Oct. 31 every year from 2010 through 2020. This year, Oct. 31 is a Sunday.

I will say .. of the 500-600 kids that come to my house, the number of non-residents is 50-60% .. while I see it as a moment of charity, there's a point it gets a bit ridiculous. 

Long time readers of the blog would know .. I'm a fan of having Halloween on, you know, Halloween, like the rest of the United States.  

Somehow, the people in Waukesha, Brookfield, Big Bend, Cedarburg, Racine, Sheboygan, Waterford, Elm Grove, Dousman, and Menomonee Falls, not to mention .. Cleveland, St. Paul, Des Moines, Boston, Phoenix .. Chicago, Detroit, Bismark .. somehow people across our country figure out how to trick or treat at the traditional moment:  On October 31st, usually when it gets dark.   How millions of people do it without ruining their children, screwing up homework time, messing up their sleep pattern, foiling soccer practice, and not running over dozens of children each year is a total mystery!

Perhaps this Milwaukee County meeting will end our long, regional nightmare and align us with the rest of the United States.

Grab Bag Story Number 2:

Jessica Jubelirer Design has opened, kitty-corner from Sendik's.  It's a corner lot, and I must say, the exterior and big windows definitely dress up the corner.

JJD is an interior design firm, mostly for the residential set, but they do some commercial work as well. 

Website: http://www.jubelirerdesign.com

Number 3:

Jill Stock, Whitefish Bay resident (and blog reader) is having an Open House / Ribbon Cutting of Real Fit at 409 E. Silver Spring, next Saturday 1/16 from 3-7pm.  Real Fit is personal training studio.

Number 4:

A new barbershop will open in the long vacant Cingular store (next to What's Poppin') called "Sports 'n Cuts Clubhouse" an "upscale mens/boys barbershop."

When City Market opens .. how many vacant spots are left on Silver Spring?  Two?  Not bad for a recession.

Number 5:

Lastly, the WFB Business Improvement District has opened its search for a BID Director.  Full release can be found here.

The part-time position will be responsible for developing marketing and advertising initiatives, communicating with various community groups to establish partnerships, providing administrative support to the BID Board, organizing and developing special events...

The base contracted salary range is $20,000 to $25,000 with additional compensation possible through performance bonuses.  Additional compensation potential from the Village of Whitefish Bay in connection with retail recruitment initiative.

Please send resume, cover letter, and references to Whitefish Bay BID Director Position, attention to Matt Schuenke, at 5300 N. Marlborough Drive, Whitefish Bay, WI 53217.  The deadline for submitting this information is January 27, 2010.  Please direct all questions to Matt Schuenke at (414) 962-6690 or m.schuenke@wfbvillage.org.

Number 6:

The WFB Ice Rinks are open at Klode and Cahill.

Top Five Whitefish Bay Stories of 2009:

#5 - ICE RINKS:

After a long break with tradition, two Ice Rinks were flooded at Klode and Cahill.  The tradition will continue in 2010. 

#4 - ARMORY PARK:

With sufficient funds raised, the Armory Park memorial began construction and had its first official flag raising on Veterans' Day.  The project will be finished with landscaping in 2010.

#3 - ELECTIONS:

• In the Spring, Whitefish Bay had three Trustees elected (Foster, Miller, and myself) and three School Board members elected (Rogers, Steele, Martinelli)
• In the Fall, we had a two-question ballot, with two WFB School District capital referendums.  Both passed.

#2 - DRUGS & POLICE:

In March, Whitefish Bay lost a teenager to a drug-overdose.  This spawned multiple stories concerning police efforts to shut down a drug-house that neighbors had reported countless times .. a creation of a new group, Bay United, and later in the year, two drug-dog searches of the Middle and High Schools (that turned up no contraband.)

#1 - SILVER SPRING RENEWAL

• After 6 months of construction, Silver Spring was rejuvenated with a new street-scape in time for the 4th of July Parade.
• Whitefish Bay's new Business Improvement District (BID) began working and a new Marketing Director was hired (and later quit).
• The BID created a new website and Facebook group.
• A new Retail Recruitment Program was created.
• Fox-Bay Condos were proposed behind Starbucks .. (and are seemingly in a holding pattern.)
• After one year, Berkeley's was renamed El Guapo's, a Mexican spot.
• City Market announced plans to open in the old Mike Crivello Camera location.   Whitefish Bay kicked in TID Funds and a Recruitment Grant to help City Market open in 2010.
• Six new merchants moved in -- What's Poppin, Mobility, Nevaeh Spa, Oro di Oliva, Simon Oliver, & Aurora Health Care.
• Only one (?) store closed, Milwaukee's Finest Guitars.   Also, one of the Persian rug shops is doing a looooong going out of business sale, but that'll count in 2010 if they ever actually close the doors.   If you believe their ads, Betty Johnson's Interiors is closing and is in WFB.  They wish they were in WFB.  They are in Glendale.  False advertising!

The Whitefish Bay Trustees had their regular meeting tonight, 12/21. 

We quickly took care of some bond issue business  ..  then at the end of the meeting we voted on an item that I get the most emails on .. a topic I can rarely open my inbox without reading a question concerning the status of:  CITY MARKET. 

The Trustees voted, 7-0 to approve a TID financing agreement for City Market.   Previously, the BID and CDA had voted to approve City Market's application for a Retail Incentive Program grant.

I won't speak out of turn with other details, but suffice it to say, the tea leaves look good for City Market opening in Whitefish Bay.

--

One other quick note .. I'd also like to express my appreciation to the families who answered the appeal for the Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation.   THANK YOU!

So .. you've bought a present for your kid's teacher .. and tipped the post man or newspaper guy.  Some of you have put out a present for the Whitefish Bay garbage collectors.

So how about a little gift for your Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation?  The Civic Foundation already got gifts for everyone:

• The Environmentalists got Green Day in the Bay in April.
• The Parade lovers got two: a 4th of July Parade, and a Holiday Stroll in December.
• The Ice Cream lovers got a couple of Socials, with free ice cream.
• The Music lovers got Sounds of Summer.
• The Halloween lovers got 2,000 pumpkins to carve and display. 

The Civic Foundation isn't supported by tax dollars.  It's funded by a handful of your neighbors, who love these events enjoyed by so many.  It really is your team, run by volunteers who might just live on your block.

The Civic Foundation puts on a lot of great events for our Village .. please consider a tax-deductible gift. 

The WFB CF has an online donation site, so you can save yourself a stamp and get it done in 60 seconds.

Please click here to donate to YOUR Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation.

(If you don't have a PayPal account, that's OK.  Just click on the "Don't have a PayPal Account?" link on the left side of that screen, and you can pay by credit card.)

Think back 18 months.  Silver Spring had bottomed out.  The road and sidewalks were cracked and vacant storefronts were common.  Now the Drive looks awesome, and a flock of new merchants have moved in.  -- They need your support, especially in this economy. 

Take the Village Spillage Pledge:  I (insert your name here) promise to buy some holiday gifts from Merchants on Silver Spring.

Here are some ideas:

I'll bet 1,000 new laptops and cell phones are going to be under trees in Whitefish Bay.  Buy them from Mobility, right next to the Fox Bay.   Yes, they are a small shop, but they will order and price match just about any item you want, from Best Buy to Amazon.    You'll help out a small merchant, and in return, they'll give you some tech support. They carry Verizon phones.  You're going to get the same deal there than at any other store.  The bonus?  These guys will sit down with you and help you figure out your phone.  

Got a pet, or need a gift for someone with one?  Treat Fido to something from Hounds Around Town.

Gift for a skier, or tennis player?  Boom, Les Moise.   Naturally, they sell Gift Certificates, so you don't have to know what your snowboarder wants.

Luggage, bags, or travel stuff?  Red Cap Luggage.

Does mom knit?  Ruhama's Yarn.

How about something from the newest merchant: Oro di Olivia for your Oil and Vinegar guzzling friends.  $35 buys you a gift set.

Dad needs a family photo on his desk.  Get it framed at the Great Frame Up.

Don't know what to get your kid's teacher or the postman?  They like Mexican food.  El Guapo's has Gift Certificates.

Your kid wants something from Cavalry Games .. X-Box stuff, RC controlled cars .. rockets.  Who wouldn't like a rocket?

Here's a never-fail gift for your wife: Massage gift certificate from Elements.

Then there's Giraffe, Simon Oliver, Winkies, Schwanke-Kasten, Thiet, Fox-Bay Theater, What's Poppin, and 20 other stores.

Seriously people.   There are 14,000+ people in Whitefish Bay.   Let's guess 40,000 holiday presents.  Imagine if we bought half of them on Silver Spring instead of Best Buy (Mobility), Toys R Us (Winkies or Cavalry Games), Zales, Kay, Shaw's Jewelers (Schwanke-Kasten or Thiet.)

Shop local.  Really.  Please.

A few bullet points from the Dec. 7th Whitefish Bay Trustee meeting:

* We recommended approval of floating $5.7m in sewerage system bonds, and $5.6m in general bonds.  From memory, the rates were around 2.9%.

* We were presented with a report on various possibilities for changes to WFB's garbage collection.   We examined some analysis on the possibility of discontinuing "walk up" collection to each home, and possibly change and require all garbage be placed on the sidewalk for curb-side pickup.

Potentially, this would save collection time and possibly create a route consolidation and a savings of $60,000/year.  That savings figure might have been high, due to the fact that somewhere between 20-50% of all residents already place their garbage on the sidewalk.

About half the folks on my block put their garbage out on the sidewalk for pickup.  Just an FYI, that's not required.   The collectors will retrieve your trash up at your house.  The same thing goes for recycling, a fact I did not know.   We've forgotten to roll our carts out before, were skipped, and mistakenly thought we'd have to suffer for a month with an overflowing cart of recycling.    If you don't pull your recycling to the sidewalk, and they miss you, call up the DPW and tell them they missed your house.

In a straw poll, most Trustees didn't think this service reduction should be pursued for a variety of reasons, from the math not working, to continuing a service that many find valuable.   As I wrote last month, Trustees dismissed my attempt to snip the budget of $77k that wouldn't have cut any service to Villagers.  Cutting an actual service would be quite odd indeed.

* Finally, a resident delivered a presentation concerning prohibiting early-morning snow-plowing on parking lots, as the plowing of the Holy Family lots disturbed his family's sleep.  While all were sympathetic to this issue, the broader impact to the many schools and businesses in WFB was a serious concern.   As a side note, the DPW currently plows regular streets in the Village at any time they deem necessary.

Over the past week, the blog has received a ton of search-engine hits all seeking information about the same topic: EL GUAPO'S. Everyone wants to know more about Berkeley's makeover.

El Guapo's is a significant change from Berkeley's. The interior is vastly different, more masculine .. a much better place for drinks. The price point is lower, and the food is more family friendly.

And take-out friendly .. my wife and I never did take-out from Berkeley's because some places, the food and presentation are too good to mess up with styrofoam boxes. We'll definitely hit EG's for fresh take-out Mexican, though. $25 will go pretty far, when many plates are $6-9.

I emailed some questions to the owners .. their answers are below:

Why Mexican: Originally when we decided on this location, we contemplated a Mexican concept vs. a neighborhood cafe. Turns out the former may have been the better choice. El Guapo's menu is approachable & affordable. The taco entree, for example, starts at $6.50.

Describe the changes to the interior: We made it warm & cozy. Berkeley's lacked warmth, and had terrible acoustics. We have addressed those issues by using warm colors (the green is gone!), constructing partitions between tables, and adding sound absorbing ceiling tiles and a warm wood floor.

Community reaction thus far: Community reaction has been very very favorable! For every one guest we have upset about Berkeley's closing (namely they would like the crunch salad back!), we have 9 guests excited about the change of both atmosphere and menu. Opening El Guapo's is a fresh start. We listened to the community for the past year and believe we have created an offering and an environment that will be well received.

Where did El Guapo come from? Answer: After a long search, we decided on El Guapo. It means "Handsome Man."

Hah. I think they stole it from the awesome 90's movie, The Three Amigos:

Some day the people of this Village will have to face El Guapo!

(Click link to see El Guapo reference.)

Here EG's menu:

El Guapo's Menu - Whitefish Bay

Interior:

First off, the Whitefish Bay Holiday Stroll 2009 was a giant success.   Credit goes to the WFB BID, who did a great job running the show.

I was surprised by the size of the crowd for the parade and festivities .. I think Silver Spring's renewal .. and the good weather had something to do with the great turnout.

I galactically miscalculated the candy requirements for the parade.   Sorry, pint sized people.

Villagers in attendance would have seen three "new" businesses that opened their doors just in time for the Stroll.

Berkeley's closed on Sunday, and re-opened as El Guapo's on Friday.   Same owners, new fresh Mexican menu, and interior.   I checked in today, and they said business was great this weekend, with crowds big enough to generate 5-10 minute waits for tables. 

It's amazing they did so well their first weekend with zero advertising.  Shows the power of word of mouth.  Will write more details about El Guapo's later.

--

I wrote "Silver Spring Strikes Oil" a few months ago, and I like the line so much, I'm using it again. Oro di Olivia also opened on Friday, selling oil and vinegar.   The store was packed on Friday night after the Stroll, and they said they did good business on Saturday as well.

Here's a picture of their store:

So if you have a hankering for some oil or vinegar .. now you know where to go.    They give out samples in little plastic shot glasses.   I hammered mine back like a shot of tequila, which apparently was not the way to go.  Hello Breadsmith?  Got any scraps?

Prices range from $12-25, but you figure the 6 bottle sampler for $35 will be the big Christmas seller.

Website: http://www.orodioliva.com

Simon Oliver also opened up in the last week.   Here's their ribbon cutting:

Simon Oliver is “a sophisticated men’s retail destination with high-quality sportswear and formalwear for discriminating shoppers.”

The store’s lines include Corneliani, Angelo Nardelli, Gimos Leathers, and Breuer Neckwear. The store is named after their two teen-aged sons, Simon and Oliver.

Simon Oliver is the first store to receive a grant from WFB's "Retail Incentive Program" which aims to fill Silver Spring with new merchants.

Berkeley's is one .. and done.

Whitefish Bay  residents Marija and Ryan Whitman closed Berkeley's today, after 13 months struggling with road construction, a bad economy, and mixed reviews.     While beloved by a base of villagers, Berkeley's as it was just didn't have the customer counts to stay afloat. 

However.

It will re-open this FRIDAY!

They are dramatically changing the interior space, with new colors, new lights, a new floor, new drop-ceiling (to cut the noise), a new menu, lower price point, and a brand new name.   

The new motif?   Mexican!   ¡Ay, caramba!

They are still tossing around a few names for the new cantina.  If you have a suggestion .. pass it on, I'll make sure it gets to them.  Whitefish Bay-ritos?   (hat tip: JK)

So .. make sure you come to Whitefish Bay's Holiday Stroll this Friday.   The parade is at 6pm .. by 6:30, swing by Berkeley's v2.0 to warm up with something covered in hot sauce.

First up, this Saturday, Nov. 21st, Simon Oliver Menswear has its grand opening / ribbon cutting at 12 Noon. Website: http://www.shopsimonoliver.com

Simon Oliver is a menswear shop operated by Perry Newsom, who has 20 years of experience in the business.

Newsom explains Simon Oliver is “a sophisticated men’s retail destination with high-quality sportswear and formalwear for discriminating shoppers.”

The store’s lines include Corneliani, Angelo Nardelli, Gimos Leathers, and Breuer Neckwear. The store is named after their two teen-aged sons, Simon and Oliver.

Simon Oliver is the first store to receive a grant from WFB's "Retail Incentive Program" which aims to fill Silver Spring with new merchants.

Please, let's get a good crowd down there welcoming our newest merchant on Silver Spring. -- 318 E. Silver Spring, near Starbucks, Saturday at Noon.

Here's an idea .. go there for the Grand Opening, then hit Berkeley's for lunch, and help out your local merchants. Swing by Mobility for a new laptop, get a few dog treats at Hounds Around Town, a few trinkets at Winkies.

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Also .. The Holiday Stroll / Parade is next Friday, the day after Thanksgiving from 5-9pm.

The theme of this year’s parade is Holidays Around the World which culminates with Santa’s annual arrival to the Village.

Food and beverages, FREE pony, carriage & train rides, entertainment.

Stores will be open late with holiday specials, entertainment and treats for shoppers. Santa is sticking around M&I Bank, which is where he keeps his good/bad list.

The parade begins at 6pm, at the corner of Kent and Silver Spring Drive, heading east ending at Lake Drive.

I hope to be walking in the parade .. so if you shout "Village Spillage" you should have some candy coming your way.

The Holiday Stroll is sponsored by the WFB BID, WFB Civic Foundation, the Village, and pretty much every merchant on Silver Spring.

I don't know what to say here.

The Whitefish Bay Trustees took up the 2010 budget at yesterday's meeting. As posted, there was a public hearing for the budget prior to the official vote.

A grand total of zero people appeared for the budget's public hearing.

The vote was 5-1, as I dissented for the reasons I laid out in my post on Sunday.

I have to say I am bewildered. Thirteen days prior, ~4,000 Villagers turned out to vote on School referendums borrowing $24m for 20 years. That debate was healthy, had multiple factions and forums, and the turnout was high. Contrast that with the Village budget, where we'll spend $13m (plus another $10m in construction) in one year, yet .. no one's interest was piqued enough to show or comment.

It's great news, I guess.

The meeting was finished in a record 35 minutes, and I was home in time to read Goodnight Gorilla to my 1 year old, a priority that now seems greatly higher.

Just got a "Recent Crime Notification" from the WFB PD.  (Sign up here.)

Last night (Saturday, or probably early Sunday morning) there were 10 cars entered, and one screened porch with various items stolen.

The common thread?  All of them were UNLOCKED. 

You can imagine "unknown actor(s)" walking around while everyone slept, trying each and every car.

Lock 'em up, people.  And if you live in the areas below .. did you see anyone walking around, jiggling doors?

Crime Notification Page

Burglary

• Sometime between 10:00pm on Saturday, 11/14/09 and 4:00am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered an unlocked screened porch (3 season room) in the 4700 block N. Sheffield and removed a laptop computer.

Entry To Auto

• Sometime between 3:15am  and 8:00am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered an unlocked vehicle, parked on driveway, in the 4700 block N. Sheffield. Change taken.
• Sometime between 10:00pm on Saturday, 11/14/09 and 8:10am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered an unlocked vehicle, parked on driveway, in the 800 block E. Courtland. Unkown at this time what, if anything, was taken.
• Sometime between 11:30pm on Saturday, 11/14/09 and 8:33am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered an unlocked vehicle, parked on driveway, in the 4700 block N. Woodruff. No items taken.
• Sometime between 5:00pm on Saturday, 11/14/09 and 9:10am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered an unlocked vehicle, parked on driveway, in the 4900 block N. Woodruff. A cellular phone and change taken.
• Sometime between noon on Saturday, 11/14/09 and 8:30am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered an unlocked vehicle, parked on driveway, in the 4700 block N. Idlewild. A purse and contents taken.  Purse, minus credit cards, recovered.
• Sometime between 7:00pm on Saturday, 11/14/09 and 5:00am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered an unlocked vehicle, parked on driveway, in the 4700 block N. Elkhart. A GPS unit taken.
• Sometime between 12:30am and 9:10am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered an unlocked vehicle, parked on driveway, in the 4800 block N. Sheffield. A purse and contents taken.  Purse, minus credit cards, recovered.
• Sometime between 11:00pm on Saturday, 11/14/09 and 7:30am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered an unlocked vehicle, parked on driveway, in the 5000 block N. Woodburn. Change taken.
• Sometime between 10:30pm on Saturday, 11/14/09 and 10:00am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered an unlocked vehicle, parked on driveway, in the 5000 block N. Woodburn. No items taken.
• Sometime between 11:00pm on Saturday, 11/14/09 and 7:30am on Sunday, 11/15/09 unknown actor(s) entered two unlocked vehicle, parked on driveway, in the 800 block E. Sylvan. No items taken.

The Armory Park project is moving quickly.

The flag pole is up, and a flag raising is scheduled for Veteran's Day, TOMORROW .. Wednesday November 11th at 7:15am. The public is welcome to attend!

(Picture courtesy Gordy Lang)

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Two other November events to mention .. first is the annual Holiday Stroll / Parade on November 27th down Silver Spring, the Friday after Thanksgiving. The Parade starts at 6pm.

If you or your group are interested in walking in the parade, shoot an email to Karen at karen@bayridgeconsulting.com

Check out the WFB "Shop" website for details.

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Finally, the North Shore Junior Woman's Club is hosting their second annual community event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21. “The Great Hunt .. Shopping for Charity” features home-party products in one location. The event will be held at 304 E. Silver Spring Drive, next door to Starbucks, in Whitefish Bay. For information call (414) 332-8966

Just a few bits of commentary on yesterday's referendum.

I was not surprised both passed, but the numbers did surprise me.

Knowing last April's ballot count of about 3,000, I'd expected the turnout for this referendum to be far lower than that.

In April '09, the ballot was long with items. 17 contesting candidates, 9 local, were listed. I would guess that close to 1,000 lawn signs were planted around the Bay.

Add in a few contested judge races, a state-wide Superintendent race, and every resident recevied a couple dozen pieces of mail, and some robo-calls, reminding people to vote (for them.) -- Not to mention the door-to-door effort by candidates saying hello.

So with all that mail, and all that media attention, 3,000 voters came out in April. 4,000 voters came out for the referendum.

There's an irony that more people will vote on a referendum that might cost ~$40m over 20 years, than will evaluate and vote for 9 village leaders, who spend $51m EVERY YEAR. (Fun with math: that's $1+ billion over 20 years.)

(One blog commentor suggested that's because there's a lack of differentiation between candidates. Indeed, local races can come down to popularity contests, versus substantitive ones, no doubt.)

With the high voter turnout, the "ramming this through / scheduling for low turnout" argument was deflated. People came out to vote. Lots.

--

I think local leaders should take note that 31% of the electorate did not vote for Q1. Q1 was nicely set up as a net-tax wash for (mostly*) no-brainer items like fixing roofs, almost making it a "who wants ice cream?" election. But a third of our neighbors didn't go for that, so you have to respect why.

Perhaps some of the 31% were perhaps private school families, some didn't like the money spent on security improvements, maybe a few didn't want to fix roofs, or wanted maintenance to be performed piece by piece, but most (I imagine) were voting to reduce tax burden, plain and simple.

The tax-burden voter jumps to 48% for Q2, although with Q2's menu of (optional) improvements, there's less of a conclusion to draw. Important, still.

--

A quote from the paper from the CWFB group caught my eye, that they were "surprised and disappointed for the people of Whitefish Bay."

Surprised that both passed? Disappointed for all of Whitefish Bay, that a majority of voters voluntarily chose to be taxed more for schools?

I'd go the opposite way.  No surprise nor disappointment .. it confirmed by vote, something about us, about our appreciation of education, and a willingness to dig deeper for students, even in a terrible economy.

Not everyone is happy today, but that's the nature of taking a measure to the electorate.

But "the people of Whitefish Bay" aren't disappointed today.  I'd suggest we are blessed that the community did some personal financial calculus and voted for more pain and sacrifice.

I'm thankful to live here.

( I would have posted this last night, but the NOW blog platform was not working.)

Here are the results:

YES on Question 1:
2719 - 1219 (69.2%)

YES on Question 2:
2054 - 1883 (52.2%)

I'm surprised at the turnout, nearly 4000 votes.  In April, only 3,069 folks voted for 4 different Trustee candidates, 5 different School Board Candidates, and a handful of judges.

Interesting that almost 1000 more people come out for a referendum, than to elect leaders.

I guess the "the referendum was scheduled for low voter turnout" argument didn't work out so well, since there was a heavy turnout. 

Today is "election" day for the Whitefish Bay School Referendum.  (Note: That's the only item on the ballot.)

Go Vote.

The facts are these:

Question 1 is to issue $9m in bonds for replacing roofs, tuck pointing, upgrading heating & ventilation, upgrading electric, etc, etc.  The mill rate impact estimate is .35.  Debt is retiring in the amount of .35 on the mill rate.    If Q1 fails, the mill rate for School taxes goes down .35, or about $125 on a $350k house,   If Q1 passes, the mill rate goes up, then down the same amount, for a net tax impact of zero.

Question 2 is to issue $13.9m in bonds for "Educational Improvement" .. multi-purpose rooms, new music room, science lab space, technology upgrades, etc.   The mill rate estimate for Q2 is .71, which means a $350,000 home can expect a tax increase of $248/year if Q2 passes. 

These mill rate estimates include interest cost and losses to state aid.  The estimated interest rate was 5.5%, which is worst-case.  WFB has a chance at getting zero-percent federal stimulus loans, contingent upon referendum passage.

Personally, I'm voting "yes" on both questions.  While the economy is gloomy, it also presents the opportunity for low construction and interest costs that are spread out over decades.

While I've lived here and paid into the system without having a child at school for a dozen years, I've been in the schools a number of times.  I've honestly been surprised at how many areas of the schools look sad. -- There's an odd juxtaposition of the high standards we keep everything else in the Bay, our homes, our streets, our parks .. with the condition of the school buildings.

I believe that over the long term, we should improve our schools at regular intervals.   Our last public vote to do this was 14 years ago.  As the debt for that rolls off, we should look to the future.

The Great Pumpkin Festival is going on this week, with two days left.

If you haven't stopped by, make sure you hit Schoolhouse Park (across from the Library) Friday or Saturday.

Where else can you bring your family and get free pumpkins to carve?    Gut scooping and carving utensils are provided.  Open Carving goes from 6-9pm.

3:30-5:30 Little Boos and Ghouls Party for toddlers and preschoolers

5:45 - Dog Parade - Howling Howl
(Dress up your dog .. Meet at the northeast corner of Birch & Marlborough. Parade will end at Hounds Around Town.)

Live Music by      Dante's Bop

4:30-6:30 - Casey Frensz

6:30-8:30 -Lil Rev

Full details about the Pumpkin Festival can be found by clicking here.

Also, an obligatory request:  The WFB Civic Foundation puts on a great show here, and there are a few dozen volunteers who give up their days (and nights) to staff the festival.   The Civic Foundation, with their Ice Cream Socials, 4th of July festival, Sounds of Summer, and Pumpkin Festival are a part of what makes Whitefish Bay special.

*** How about stepping up to the plate, and giving a tax deductible donation to the Foundation.  You can donate online by clicking here.  Consider it your Whitefish Bay Party tax.

The CF is funded entirely by donations from the community. 

There's one other haunted event going on Friday and Saturday in Whitefish Bay.

"HauntedCramer" at 4739 N. Cramer St. just south of Hampton from 6:45pm-10pm.

It's a charity Haunted House, put on by some enterprising Whitefish Bay students.    $1 buck gets you in the door.

Click here for the HauntedCramer website.