The Daily Reporter articles from July 2008

The Daily Reporter archives from July 2008

Walkway expansion in Cedarburg can only inch forward.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Cedarburg's Cedar Creek walkway expansion will proceed only as far as downtown property owners allow. I think it'd be a great asset to the community and to the businesses, said Rebecca Zuba, who owns property...

Rail plan can't stop inspections rules Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan A circuit court judge Monday ruled Milwaukee Industrial Trade Center's plan to create a rail terminal at the former Tower Automotive site cannot keep city of Milwaukee officials from inspecting the property. The rail...

Floods leave counties in Wisconsin gasping for road money.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials don't know how long it will take to repair Highway 33 near Portage, but they know what would have lessened the damage --bigger culverts. Admittedly, we built the...

Departments can't keep pace with nature's fury in Wisconsin.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan A heavy winter snowfall forced Dave Lambert to delay four miles of highway construction work until next year, and recent floods might cost him another four miles. Lambert, Grant County's highway commissioner, said he...

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater lays claim to synthetic turf.
July 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater might not see the maintenance savings it expects when it spends $1.74 million on upgrades at Prucha Field. I'd love to have a field like Miller Park, where they have a grounds...

American Sewer ruptures Milwaukee gas line.
July 2, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee's Department of Public Works will investigate American Sewer Services Inc.'s project history following an accident Tuesday in which the company broke an underground gas line. American Sewer, Hartford, was...

Dredging Kinnickinnic River in Milwaukee almost a done deal.
July 2, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Chris Svoboda, owner and operator of Pier Milwaukee yacht storage on the Kinnickinnic River, said he's frustrated that river dredging has to wait until next year. He has about 21 boat slips he can't rent because they...

Access denied for north side developments in Madison.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison's north side could soon see a development renaissance, but easy access depends on the long-awaited North Mendota Parkway. Alderman Michael Schumacher, who represents the area, said he's encouraged to see a...

Roller coaster builders ride economy's ups, downs.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Roller coaster builders might shudder at the thought, but at least one amusement ride engineer wants to see more do-it-yourself projects. If you've got enough elbow grease and time to do it, I would hope that more...

Feds fail to offer road relief in Wisconsin.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The state Department of Transportation wants to repair flood-damaged highways by asking for $25 million from a federal account that has no money. Wes Shemwell, emergency relief coordinator in the Federal Highway...

Milwaukee-based law firm revives once-dead condo project.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The slow-developing turnaround for Madison's Broadway-Lakepoint neighborhood might finally speed up. The Milwaukee law firm Beck, Chaet, Bamberger & Polsky SC is now in control of a $4 million affordable condominium...

Allied residents in Madison can't afford 'affordable'.
July 7, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder As Madison's Allied Drive revitalization finally takes shape, some in the struggling neighborhood worry improvements will price them out of the area. Are residents going to be able to afford this change? asked Alice...

Marquette clears last Summerfest roadblock in Milwaukee.
July 7, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Marquette Constructors LLC struck a delicate balance between Summerfest and the Marquette Interchange reconstruction this year as the project enters its final months. Crews met the schedule of keeping all lanes open...

City of Magnolia proves there's no harm in trying.
July 8, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Magnolia has an ordinance for wind farm development, but that might do little to stop such growth in the town. That's why town Supervisor David Olsen said officials opted for a noncontroversial ordinance that should...

Oconomowoc preps for Pabst Farms boom.
July 8, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Developer Maureen Stapleton argues if Oconomowoc doesn't get some cheaper housing by 2010, new workers filling jobs in Pabst Farms will buy houses in other communities. Then employees will suffer higher gas prices,...

Rehab 101: New owner chooses fresh course in Janesville.
July 8, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Janesville city officials are banking on a downtown renaissance with the renovation of the Helgesen Building, or 101 as it's more commonly known, on East Milwaukee Street. But others say it's going to take more than...

Building industry fears new project mandates in Milwaukee.
July 9, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee will scare away projects if it makes developers hire minority companies or pay prevailing wages in return for city subsidies, according to building industry representatives. It's the same argument developers...

Wisconsin airports brace for bouncy season ahead.
July 9, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Airport projects in Wisconsin are being downsized or delayed because the federal government won't approve Federal Aviation Administration money in time for this year's construction season. The federal money usually...

Village of West Salem suffers streetscape setback.
July 9, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder West Salem wants state money for a streetscape project, but every time the village applies, it ranks lower on the priority list. Maybe we should go back (to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation) with a greater...

WHEDA policies stall Milwaukee housing project.
July 9, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Mercy Housing Lakefront didn't get state tax credits for its project in Milwaukee, so it's asking the city to reserve $750,000 in its Housing Trust Fund for up to 10 months. Mercy Housing, Chicago, builds housing for...

Devil's in the details for church in Madison.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison residents can voice their opinions on the future of St. Raphael's Cathedral -- after its scheduled demolition. The remnants of the abandoned cathedral are scheduled to meet the wrecking ball July 21. The...

Aldermen attack Madison development.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The Alexander Co.'s Novation Campus development is stuck between an angry alderman in Madison fuming over progress and a dismayed official in Fitchburg worried about what might fall into his lap. The only one who's...

Neighborhood must wait for Tower property in Milwaukee.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Many properties in Milwaukee's 30th Street Industrial Corridor are too small for manufacturers, and a prime site that meets the size standard is embroiled in a lawsuit with the city. The 84-acre Tower Automotive site...

Historic status pays for statues in Bayside.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Bayside applied for and earned historic landmark status for its 100-year-old Lions Gates so the village could use grant money to fix the aging structures. It seemed practical to go this route because we had a...

San Marco Bell Tower in Milwaukee: Little Italy.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Cosmo Carini tried to make his wooden replica of Venice's stone San Marco Bell Tower as solid as the original, which stood for 900 years before crumbling in 1902. The 43-foot bell tower weighs a few tons already, so...

Green dream adds millions to monastery in Madison.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The Benedictine Women of Madison is scaling back, going green and taking on an extra $2 million in debt to do it. The organization wants a zero-carbon footprint building, which essentially produces as much energy as...

Ruling by Wisconsin Supreme Court on bridges isn't clear guide.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Dane County won't help the town of Madison pay for a new bridge, but the state Supreme Court decision in the case failed to set a precedent for future projects. It's over in terms of a decision, but we still are...

Vet Center in Brown County leaves state seeking more.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The federal government will pay to build a new Vet Center in Brown County, but Wisconsin officials argue it's not nearly enough to support veterans returning from the Middle East. John A. Scocos, secretary of the...

Lawmaker dismisses UW dorm in Madison.
July 14, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Private developers and state lawmakers still question the need for an estimated $59 million dorm on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. That won't keep the university from trying to build it. The...

Bliss taps out La Crosse city budget.
July 14, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder La Crosse will slice $600,000 from its emergency storm water account to cover the higher-than-estimated repair costs for Bliss Road. Wayne Delagrave, deputy director of the city's Department of Finance, conceded...

Developers in Wisconsin claim privacy breeds success.
July 14, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan If city development corporations open their books to the public, they fear they'll lose leverage in courting developers and companies looking for a place to build. The state Supreme Court ruled development...

Cabinetry takes to the catwalk in Wisconsin.
July 15, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Tom Callen has co-owned his construction and design company for 22 years. Not once in those 22 years did he think he'd be part of a fashion show. But on Friday he was. The Callen Design Group of Callen...

Unpopular Milwaukee parcel will go to first bidder.
July 15, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee released an open invitation for developers to purchase a small property near General Mitchell International Airport after nobody tried to buy it by the original July 1 deadline. Alderman Terry Witkowski said...

Prairie du Chien goes in circles on roundabouts.
July 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The Prairie du Chien Common Council on Tuesday night will decide whether to uphold Mayor Karl Steiner's veto of the council's original denial of his roundabout repeal proposal. Maintaining he was put into office...

Fox Lake library to ramp up access.
July 15, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Fox Lake is raising money for a new library, but at the same time will spend $25,000 to make the current building accessible to people with disabilities. The city plans to sell the library building to help pay for a...

Former Cedarburg floodplain open for development.
July 15, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Once a floodplain, forever a development risk? The future of a prime piece of land in Cedarburg once deemed a flood risk is uncertain. The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently adjusted its Floodplain...

Cousins Center sale to Wisconsin's Cardinal Stritch University in works.
July 15, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Cardinal Stritch University announced Monday it is negotiating the purchase of the Archbishop Cousins Catholic Center in St. Francis. The center, 3501 S. Lake Drive, has 415,000 square feet of building space on a...

Gerald "Jerry" Nell remembered as persistent, self-made man.
July 16, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Gerald Jerry Nell, who died Monday, had trouble letting go of his construction business when he passed the torch to his son in 1994. Nell died after a short battle with small-cell lung cancer. He was 73. Nell,...

Gays Mills, Wisconsin, lacks timeline for downtown relocation.(Chronology)
July 16, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Steve Mickelson didn't like what he saw when he looked over the bridge on his way to work in Gays Mills on Monday morning. The (Kickapoo River) was full, he said. If we have a storm this week, we might be in trouble...

Economy squeezes Wisconsin regional airport.
July 16, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder More than $13 million worth of construction work will take place at Dane County Regional Airport again this year, despite a tough economy and fewer travelers. This is a big airport, and infrastructure still needs to...

Residents pay for Kewaskum plant upgrades.
July 16, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Kewaskum residents will absorb a 12 percent increase in their sewer bills to pay for a wastewater treatment plant upgrade, and the village says its hands are tied. "None of the (village) board members nor...

St. Raphael's Cathedral in Madison bows to wrecking ball.
July 16, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Landgraf Construction Inc. is demolishing St. Raphael's Cathedral despite the Diocese of Madison saying work would not begin until July 21. Those waging a last-minute fight to save the 154-year-old building and...

WUCA could contest culvert contract in in Wauwatosa.
July 17, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Underground contractors said they don't think culvert construction should be included in a no-bid contract the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District may sign with Canadian Pacific Railway. The MMSD negotiated an up...

Nuclear debate persists in Wisconsin.
July 17, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The push to lift a moratorium on nuclear power plant construction is gaining momentum at the Capitol, but skeptics are still waiting to continue the debate. I'm very much still interested in it, and I will continue...

Historic Lawson building in Milwaukee could soon be history.
July 17, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan If the state approves demolishing the Lawson-Continental Tile building in the next week, the South Milwaukee Community Development Authority won't wait long to tear it down. The state's decision hinges on whether two...

Prairie du Chien circles back on roundabouts.
July 17, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Prairie du Chien's roundabout proponents see a chance to overcome the mayor's veto of the projects, but that doesn't mean the traffic structures will be built. The Common Council on Tuesday chose not to respond to...

Vulcan replica finds logical home in city park in Appleton.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Tom Werth intends to find the money to move a historic replica of the Vulcan Street Plant even if Appleton keeps its wallet closed. The charge we were given from the Common Council was, 'You can move it, but...

Court case challenges I-35W bridge in Minneapolis contract.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Two Minnesota residents challenging the contract awarded for the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis want the state to stop the reconstruction project. If the judge in the case agrees, the Minnesota Department of...

ATC challengers want to bury the line in Dane County.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The American Transmission Co. LLC doesn't want to bury a 345-kilovolt transmission line in Dane County, but it won't get its way without a battle. Of course we'll be continuing the fight, said Harvey Temkin,...

Milwaukee could clog water deal.
July 18, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee aldermen disagree as to how much the city can influence New Berlin's development plans as part of a deal to sell water to the suburb. Milwaukee proposed a 20-year agreement with New Berlin to provide water...

State of Wisconsin might tweak project delivery.
July 21, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin wants to simplify its rules for delivering construction projects, but finding good reason, consensus or an easy solution is as difficult as ever. Project delivery's always going to be an issue, said...

Emission permits in Wisconsin suspicious.
July 21, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The state might be enforcing job-site emission rules that were rejected in 2006, and construction officials want to know why. We're not accusing anyone of anything, said Jim Boullion, director of government affairs...

Turner School District resists track and field temptation.
July 22, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The Turner School District won't try to pass a referendum for track and field money this fall, opting instead to let residents focus on town of Beloit projects. With the climate and economy we're in now, we just...

Wisconsin construction industry mired in uncertainty.
July 22, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The economy is down, construction workers are out of jobs, and, for the second time in a year, the secretary's desk at the Wisconsin Department of Commerce is empty. Gov. Jim Doyle keeps putting out the message that...

Petroleum blows the roof off bids in Wisconsin.
July 22, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan As petroleum prices rapidly drive up material costs, roofers don't know how much expenses will change between bidding and building. But when contractors add a healthy buffer to their price to safeguard against...

Army Reserve builds home in Hammond.
July 22, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Ellsworth will lose a piece of its character and feel a dent in its economy when the U.S. Army Reserve 652nd Engineer Company moves north to Hammond. But change is not all bad, said Village President Gerald DeWolfe....

Wisconsin village sees savings in energy projects.
July 23, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter Grafton is willing to wait a decade to see savings on an estimated $450,000 energy efficiency project in several village-owned buildings. Even if we just broke even on the project, we'd do it because we'll...

Racine hall operator sets stage for renovation.
July 23, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Jim Walczak wants to turn Racine's Memorial Hall into a successful venue, but the historic building isn't made for modern performances. There are no dressing rooms or showers, so when Extreme Championship Wrestling...

Madison fertilizer plant still barren.
July 23, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder It'll be hard to find a developer in the crowd when Madison gathers comments from east side residents on the future of the former Royster-Clark property. Off and on, we get reports that people are interested in the...

Janesville fairgrounds project gets mixed signals.
July 23, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder If Janesville approves construction of a cell tower on the Rock County Fairgrounds, the city might one day be left with 18.5 acres of empty land with a 100-foot structure in the middle of it. It would be difficult...

Runoff rules could cost Wisconsin developers.
July 23, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Developers and cities can save money if they accept the cost of managing stormwater runoff now rather than waiting for federal guidelines to force the issue. There will be less cost to comply with those mandates when...

Technology pushes Appleton toward new library.
July 24, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter The same technology that is increasing circulation and patronage of public libraries is making them too big for their outdated walls. Growing collections and growing computer labs are forcing many libraries --...

Wetlands job baffles Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
July 24, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The Wisconsin Department of Transportation scoured more than 500 square miles to find property to offset wetlands losses caused by the Interstate 94 reconstruction. It came up empty. The expansion of the main...

Madison works around the railroad.
July 24, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder When Schreiber/Anderson Associates Inc. picks up where Madison left off designing the city's Central Park, the firm will do so with railroad tracks in mind and resident concerns in its ear. The city never considered...

Sheboygan hires Sigma to tackle brewery cleanup.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter State grants are helping Sheboygan remove contaminants from the site of a former brewery to get the property ready for redevelopment. The Wisconsin departments of Commerce and Natural Resources contributed...

Fort McCoy targets shooting range monopoly.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The drive to stay relevant is forcing Fort McCoy to spend millions on shooting range upgrades, which are making the Wisconsin National Guard's indoor facilities obsolete. National Guard and U.S. Army commanders can go...

Hotel rush hits city corridor in Madison.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder After years of relative vacancy, Madison's John Nolen Drive corridor is open for business, and hotel developers are racing to the scene. But city officials are starting to wonder if the development is coming too...

La Crosse office of the Trane Co. ties donation to inspection.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder The La Crosse office of the Trane Co. is offering to the School District of La Crosse a big donation that could repair hurt feelings and win the company a future client. "My hope is that this is the beginning of a...

Homeless man in Milwaukee finds industry shelter.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan David Lee wants construction work to guide him through the economic problems that landed him in The Guest House. Lee and one other would-be resident of The Guest House emerged from 30 candidates who applied for a...

Village services get cozy in new home in Endeavor.
July 28, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Several village services in Endeavor will soon come together under one roof. For now. I think the size of the building will meet our needs, said Village President Kevin Boodry. We'd have to have tremendous growth on...

Elm Grove, contractor slug it out.
July 28, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Michels Corp. wrote the plan to bore a flood-control tunnel under Elm Grove, so it's responsible for cost overruns on the project, said Village President Neil Palmer. The $4.6 million job entailed digging a tunnel as...

Interchange hits crossroads for Dane County money.
July 29, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison knows how to fix congestion at the intersection of Mineral Point and Junction roads, but Dane County won't promise to help with the estimated $16 million solution. The money issue shouldn't jeopardize the...

Operating Engineers Local 139, Pewaukee, lets loose the rats.
July 29, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Operating Engineers Local 139 picketers Monday found construction barrels blocking their marching ground on the shoulder of Highway 20 outside the Mount Pleasant International Commerce Center construction site. Local...

Madison residents driven to help Allied.
July 29, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder As the Allied Drive redevelopment officially kicked off Monday, some city and building trades officials wondered if the residential requirements on that project might extend to others in Madison. Scott Vaughn,...

Sturgeon Bay boilermaker still in critical condition.
July 29, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan Early indications Monday were that Keith Werkheiser, a boilermaker who fell 36 feet at the We Energies Oak Creek power plant project Saturday, will recover after surgery. Werkheiser's brother, Terry, is a general...

Developer might fill neighborhood hole in Madison.
July 30, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Just as Madison officials were growing tired of the giant hole next to University Avenue, the developers of a project near Hilldale Mall took steps to start the second phase of work. I honestly haven't thought about...

Madison plays hot potato with shelter.
July 30, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison's south side teems with transient and homeless people, Alderman Tim Bruer said, but putting a homeless shelter there will only make matters worse. You can only absorb so much, he said. The area's beyond its...

Milwaukee water deal still floats.
July 30, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan The social changes groups want woven into a water deal between Milwaukee and New Berlin are outside of New Berlin's control, Mayor Jack Chiovatero said. To build housing for low-wage workers, for instance, New Berlin...

Sheboygan's water slide's quality slips with age.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Krista Ledbetter The water slide at Jaycees Park Quarry is a piece of Sheboygan's history that will be in pieces if the city doesn't pony up the cash to fix or replace it. Bill Bittner, Department of Public Works director, said...

Pewaukee-area contractors in union keeps expansion work in the family.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan When Operating Engineers Local 139 solicited bids for its headquarters expansion, some contractors wondered why they weren't invited. The union is renovating its 20-year-old building in Pewaukee and building an...

State of Wisconsin takes transit idea for a ride.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Regional cooperation remains the largest roadblock in establishing regional transit authorities. But that won't keep the state Legislature from taking a crack at it in the next legislative session. A...

Alliant keys on green for plant project in Wisconsin.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin Power & Light Co. is lining up candidates to deliver biomass fuel to a plant expansion it doesn't yet have approval to build. The company, a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corp., announced it selected five...