The Daily Reporter articles from June 2003

The Daily Reporter archives from June 2003

Transportation secretary says SE Wisc. Regional Planning Commission could better represent community.
June 2, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission needs to do a better job of involving all segments of the seven counties it represents, a top state official said this week. The comments were made by Wisconsin...

AG vows crackdown on prevailing-wage violators.
June 2, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Members of Gov. Jim Doyle's administration and the state's top cop reaffirmed their commitment on Friday to enforcing state prevailing-wage laws and apprenticeship ratios. "Let me say one important thing:...

Commentary: Liquidated damages: Clauses must be reasonable.
June 2, 2003... Byline: Dereck Brower It is not uncommon for parties to agree to a liquidated-damages clause in a construction contract. The general theme of such a provision is that if the contractor does not complete construction within a certain number...

Oak Creek residents weigh in on We Energies' plan.
June 3, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass Residents of Oak Creek and Caledonia are concerned that the plan by We Energies to build three coal-fired plants in Oak Creek will worsen air quality, cause significant health problems and severely hinder future economic...

Milwaukee Metro Sewerage District wants worker disciplined.
June 3, 2003... Byline: Sean Ryan The United Water Services employee error that sent 2 million gallons of partially treated wastewater into Lake Michigan likely puts the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District in violation of its operation permit. ...

Roundy's Inc. relocation package OK'd.
June 4, 2003... Byline: Sean Ryan Despite protests from Waukesha County government, Milwaukee's Common Council gave the final signoff to a relocation package Tuesday to help Roundy's Inc. relocate downtown from Pewaukee and Wauwatosa. In April,...

Wisconsin lawmakers propose power plant siting incentives.
June 4, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell State lawmakers want to encourage municipalities to site new power plants by funneling more money to local governments, though not all local governments are in agreement. A Senate bill and its Assembly companion...

Renovating 100-year-old auditorium is challenge.
June 4, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass The challenge for construction crews renovating the old Milwaukee Auditorium is simple yet very complex: take an almost 100-year-old building, renovate the interior to make it look new but keep the exterior looking like...

Commentary: Wisconsin lawmakers need to freeze state spending.
June 4, 2003... Byline: Donald Croysdale The Eskimos are said to have a hundred ways to say "snow." Legislators have at least as many ways to say "freeze." The latest trial balloon being floated is to freeze state spending for three years, to go along...

Gov. Doyle blasts GOP spending plan.
June 5, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Gov. Jim Doyle on Wednesday came out swinging against a Republican-backed budget plan that freezes local levies and state government spending. "(The tax freeze) has nothing to do... with the state having to...

Commentary: Southeastern Wisconsin builders need reliable, affordable power.
June 5, 2003... Byline: Matt Moroney The need for additional electricity generation capacity in southeastern Wisconsin cannot be disputed. As Wisconsin's economy grows and the use of electrical equipment increases in our homes and businesses, the need for...

New coalition backs coal plants.
June 5, 2003... Byline: Sean Ryan The newly formed Wisconsin Coalition of Energy Consumers supports We Energies' proposed Oak Creek coal power plant but has concerns about its potential environmental impacts. "We're looking to represent the interests...

Four-month-old firm has spate of projects.
June 6, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell When Mark Landgraf started his construction company in January, he expected it would take at least five months for the first project to come along. Sometimes things don't work out as expected. For Landgraf, this...

Gov. Doyle: More power plants, transmission lines needed.
June 6, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Wisconsin must undertake a significant expansion of its energy infrastructure in order to avert a shortage crisis, Gov. Jim Doyle and electrical industry leaders said Thursday. "We do not have the luxury of just...

Commentary: Constructive Comments June 6, 2003.
June 6, 2003... Byline: Dick Snow We called up the Contractor Directory from the latest Wisconsin Builder on The Daily Reporter Web site and were amazed to count 79 construction industry associations listed in the state. That's a heap of togetherness...

Oak Creek Common Council approves coal plant permit.
June 6, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass The Oak Creek Common Council approved a conditional use permit for We Energies' proposed coal plant expansion at the utility's Oak Creek location. The unanimous approval comes about two months after the city reached...

Pay dispute leads to carpenters, cement masons strike.
June 9, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell A dispute over pay differences in southeastern Wisconsin has prompted two unions to strike area work sites, and labor and management officials said they don't see a quick fix. "Not a fun time," said Thomas...

Task force pushes for more affordable housing in Milwaukee.
June 9, 2003... Byline: John Casper Jr. The Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods Coalition Task Force made another push for more affordable housing in Milwaukee. The task force, which met at Milwaukee City Hall Thursday afternoon, had asked the City...

Commentary: WisDOT budget analysis.
June 9, 2003... Byline: Reince Priebus Gov. Jim Doyle's proposed 2003-2005 budget recommendations were of concern to those interested in maintaining Wisconsin's commercial infrastructure. Doyle was recommending that the state transfer more than $500...

Smart Growth laws challenged.
June 10, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Builders, realtors and land-use advocates are urging a state legislator to rethink a proposal that would overturn the state's Smart Growth law. Rep. Mary Williams, R-Medford, is circulating a bill in the state...

Gov. Doyle kills plan to expand nonattainment zone.
June 10, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass A proposal to expand Wisconsin's ozone-nonattainment zone to 11 counties, including Fond du Lac, Walworth, Dodge and Winnebago counties, has been killed by Gov. Jim Doyle in what one state regulatory official called "a...

DNR proposal would force utilities to cut mercury.
June 10, 2003... Byline: Chris Thompson Groups opposing We Energies' coal-fired power plant proposal for Oak Creek see an opportunity to fight the plan through new state rules on mercury emissions. The state Department of Natural Resources has proposed...

Draft design/build bill in works.
June 11, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Most of the pivotal players are keeping mum on a design/build legislative proposal that's making the rounds in state construction industry groups. Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, and the Milwaukee...

WisDOT readies for Marquette Interchange work.
June 11, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell After a false start, the state Department of Transportation looks set to begin a preliminary project for the $890 million Marquette Interchange reconstruction in Milwaukee. In April, the agency opened bids for a...

Ackerville Bridge suit dismissed.
June 11, 2003... Byline: Sean Ryan The Highway J Citizens' Group's lawsuit seeking to dismantle the Ackerville Bridge was dismissed with a ruling that state agents followed all environmental assessment requirements. "It basically says we can complete...

Commentary: Environmental pests.
June 11, 2003... Byline: Donald Croysdale As business people, we must regrettably deal with environmental pests. The federal Environmental Protection Agency, with help from our own state's Department of Natural Resources regulators, set up in 1991 strict...

Milwaukee Metro Sewerage District mulls apprenticeship requirement.
June 12, 2003... Byline: Chris Thompson The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District wants to place apprenticeship requirements on its construction projects. "Over the next 10 years, MMSD will spend around $1 billion on construction projects," said...

Plans for Milwaukee shopping center dropped.
June 12, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass The developer of a $25 million shopping center proposed for Milwaukee's northwest side has dropped plans for the retail center and is instead moving forward with several planned automobile dealerships there. Gerry...

City of Milwaukee working to revitalize East Capitol Drive retail corridor.
June 12, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass The city of Milwaukee, in partnership with the Northeast Milwaukee Industrial Development Corp., is working to revitalize the heavily traveled East Capitol Drive retail corridor, an area that has been slowed by a...

Commentary: Accredited Quality Contractors is elite group.
June 12, 2003... Byline: Matt McClone More than 23,000 contractors, suppliers and associated firms make up the Associated Builders and Contractors' team of merit shop construction companies, dedicated to building every project on time, on budget and to the...

AFL-CIO, Operating Engineers back different candidates.
June 13, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell The state AFL-CIO and the state's Operating Engineers union have diverged in their support for candidates vying in a special state Assembly race in Milwaukee County. And We Energies' $7 billion Power the Future...

Atty. General seeks delay of EPA settlement.
June 13, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Wisconsin's attorney general on Wednesday asked the federal government to delay approval of the $600 million pollution settlement it reached last month with We Energies. In a letter to the federal Department of...

Commentary: Design/build bill is flawed.
June 13, 2003... Byline: Daily Reporter Staff A design/build bill is in the works that would give the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District authority to use the delivery method on projects valued at more than $4 million. But neither district...

Citizens Allied for Sane Highways group attacks Walker.
June 13, 2003... Byline: John Casper Jr. Citizens Allied for Sane Highways attacked Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker in a statement Wednesday, calling for the official to return more than $5,000 in campaign funds he received from road-building...

Commentary: Constructive Comments June 13, 2003.
June 13, 2003... Byline: Dick Snow Wisconsin leads nation Are we in for another plague of rustbeltitis? Sad to report, Wisconsin led the nation in the April Bureau of Labor Statistics construction employment derby with a 7 percent decrease over...

Liability limitation: The economic loss doctrine.
June 16, 2003... Byline: Ted Wisnefski Recently, the Wisconsin Supreme Court in Digicorp Inc. et al. v. Ameritech Corp. et al. confirmed that the relationship between commercial parties will usually be governed by the terms of their contract. That is,...

Milwaukee civic leaders support plan to move Potawatomi casino.
June 16, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell It's not a slam dunk by any stretch, but Milwaukee civic leaders are lining up behind a proposal to move the Potawatomi casino from the Menomonee Valley to one of several city center sites. "There's enough...

School plan could exceed $100 million.
June 16, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass The Elmbrook School Board is reviewing building options for Brookfield East and Brookfield Central high schools, which include a plan to build two new high schools at a combined price of about $107 million. Elmbrook...

Wisconsin-based utility keeps EPA negotiations over its clean air violations secret.
June 17, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass We Energies did not inform the city of Oak Creek of the utility's negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency over alleged Clean Air Act violations before city officials agreed to drop their opposition to the...

Milwaukee offers $3.55 million for Chicago-based CMC Heartland Partners' land.
June 17, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass The longtime owners of a key 140-acre parcel in the Menomonee Valley near Miller Park are optimistic a sale agreement can be reached with the city of Milwaukee that would open the door for the site to be developed into a...

Milwaukee, Aldrich Chemical reach relocation deal.
June 18, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Milwaukee government leaders and Aldrich Chemical Co. have struck a deal that will allow the firm to build a $52 million plant expansion on the city's north side. The Common Council's Zoning, Neighborhood and...

Proposal to rebuild skywalk approved by Madison officials.
June 18, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell It might look like a gerbil tube, but a Madison building owner's proposal for rebuilding a skywalk has drawn approval from city officials and the Overture Foundation. Landlord Harold Langhammer had endured...

Milwaukee-area construction industry considers mayoral candidates.
June 18, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass Milwaukee-area construction and architectural executives are closely watching the growing field of candidates who want to be the next mayor of Milwaukee, trying to figure out which one would be most likely to continue the...

Commentary: What's behind the coal vs. gas debate?
June 18, 2003... Byline: Donald Croysdale Over the past several months, special interest groups opposed to economic expansion in southeastern Wisconsin have attempted to play the environment card. Our local utility has proposed a multibillion dollar...

$2M tax incremental financing district approved in Waukesha.
June 19, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass A $2 million tax incremental financing district in the city of Waukesha was approved Tuesday for a 54-acre business park proposed by a Glendale development firm. JBK Properties Inc. has proposed the Spring City...

Survey shows 54% of Racine residents oppose coal fired plant plans.
June 19, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass A majority of Racine residents oppose We Energies' plan to build a new coal fired plant in Oak Creek, fearing it would worsen air quality, increase energy costs and impact their health, according to a new survey. The...

Commentary: Construction industry must keep safety in mind.
June 19, 2003... Byline: Matt Moroney The construction season is in full swing. This is a good time for residential contractors to take stock of their safety procedures and make sure those procedures are being followed by employees and subcontractors. ...

U of Wisconsin-Whitewater plans for uncertain project.
June 20, 2003... Byline: Chris Thompson Jack Miller is walking a high wire. At least that's how some members of the State Building Commission described the course of action taken by the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Miller, on...

Commentary: Constructive Comments June 20, 2003.
June 20, 2003... Byline: Dick Snow Kohl's put groceries on the table It was with a great deal of nostalgia and sadness that we noted news of the closing of Kohl's food stores. For three decades, from 1946 when Max Kohl built his first supermarket...

Commentary: Plans to move Potawatomi tribe's casino probably won't go anywhere.
June 20, 2003... Byline: Daily Reporter Staff If the federal government is in an unusually cooperative mood, and the city and county of Milwaukee are for real, and the Forest County Potawatomi Indian Community agrees, then a casino could get moved. ...

Minority contractors set for national conference.
June 20, 2003... Byline: Sean Ryan The National Association of Minority Contractors next week will hold its annual conference in Milwaukee for the first time, celebrating industry diversity and offering some choice networking opportunities. "The...

Doyle says approved state budget bill will be devastating to local governments and school districts.
June 23, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass Gov. Jim Doyle ripped the state Legislature on Friday for approving state budget bill that he said would be devastating to local governments and school districts. Appearing at Cutler Park in Waukesha, a traditionally...

Single word halts asbestos rule approval by state lawmakers.
June 23, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell One word stopped state lawmakers on Wednesday from passing a new rule giving the Department of Natural Resources power to cite asbestos-abatement contractors. The word in question was "thorough." "That is,...

A tale of a beer haus and downtown renewal in Chippewa Falls.
June 23, 2003... Byline: Seth Ansorge Call it a hunter's paradise. Or a fisherman's fantasy. Whatever you call it, the new Leinie's Lodge, located opposite Duncan Creek from Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co.'s main brewery in Chippewa Falls, is essentially...

The math of workforce reductions.
June 23, 2003... Byline: Charles Palmer Whether or not you like math, the "new math" involved with employee layoffs in the present economy is not much fun. Downsizing, right sizing, reductions in force - whatever term is used to describe terminations of...

Commentary: How is safety handled on your job?
June 24, 2003... Byline: Dan Burazin How many times have you heard that construction is a dangerous profession? Accidents are bound to happen. Right? If this is the case, then why would anyone ever want to work in this industry? Is it for the...

Use of pervious concrete is a first.
June 24, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass An ice cream and donut shop being built in Oak Creek is going to include pervious concrete to absorb storm water, one of the first uses of that type of concrete in the Milwaukee area to help prevent flooding. Zabest...

Planners watching City Hall changes closely.
June 24, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist's announcement on Sunday of his plans to leave office on January 1 and elevate Common Council President Marvin Pratt to the mayor's office has further confused an already crowded race to be...

Milwaukee Metro Sewerage District OKs apprenticeship proposal.
June 24, 2003... Byline: Sean Ryan The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Monday green-lighted a pilot apprenticeship program for its construction projects and aired both praise and criticism of its plants' operator, United Water Services. With...

Water plant's location uncertain.
June 25, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass City of Glendale officials are closely watching plans to expand the freeway system in southeastern Wisconsin as they still have concerns it may force them to relocate a portion of the North Shore Water Filtration Plant....

Dorner Inc. fined for sediment discharge.
June 25, 2003... Byline: Sean Ryan Dorner Inc. will pay a $33,750 fine and dredge two Green County creeks to settle a state complaint that it improperly discharged sediment into them during a 2002 county sewer project. "We're going to clean the creek,...

Construction economist paints grim economic picture.
June 25, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell A leading construction economist believes a federal interest rate cut would provide some fiscal stimulus, but it won't be enough to bail out an ailing commercial building market. Ken Simonson, chief economist for...

Commentary: Patience vs. procrastination.
June 25, 2003... Byline: Donald Croysdale Three months ago, we discussed the difference between patience and procrastination. We waited for economic conditions to improve, for tax cuts to be enacted, for the stock market to perk up and for the Iraq...

Work on Port Washington project begins.
June 26, 2003... Byline: Sean Ryan The 25-month project timeline started ticking in Port Washington Wednesday for construction of We Energies' $640 million gas-fired power plant, which will clear the benches in Milwaukee's union halls. "This...

Three labor unions, mgmt. groups reach deals on Tuesday.
June 26, 2003... Byline: Jeremy Harrell Reconciliation swept across southeastern Wisconsin on Tuesday as three labor unions and management groups reached deals to possibly end two strikes and keep another at bay. "Yesterday was a whirlwind day," Ed...

National Assn. of Minority Contractors holds annual conference.
June 27, 2003... Byline: John Casper Jr. Ulice Payne delivered a simple message Thursday morning, and it had nothing to do with ticket sales. Serving as the keynote speaker at the National Association of Minority Contractors 34th annual national...

Muermann Engineering succeeds by succeeding.
June 27, 2003... Byline: Candy Doyle Muermann Engineering LLC's territory stretches from its home in Kiel to Guyana -- and everywhere in between. "It's all over the state," said Curt Krupp, vice president of the electrical design firm founded in 1986...

Commentary: Constructive Comments June 27, 2003.
June 27, 2003... Byline: Dick Snow Big bangs precede the Fourth Giant aerial bombs -- the political kind -- have lit the skies of Wisconsin's early summer in advance of the Fourth of July. They may last through the remainder of the year accompanied by...

$30 million mixed-use project planned.
June 30, 2003... Byline: Mark Kass After two years of delays due to an endangered snake, construction is set to begin in September on a $30 million development in New Berlin that will include a mix of office, housing, retail and a new $8.9 million,...

Commentary: The math of work-force reductions.
June 30, 2003... Byline: Charles Palmer Terminating employees is difficult in most instances. Beyond the emotional impact, employment laws require caution in the downsizing process. Legal requirements govern severance agreements that are offered to...

Nat'l Assn. of Minority Contractors conference speaker supports disadvantage biz enterprises.
June 30, 2003... Byline: John Casper Jr. Edward W. Morris Jr. has dedicated the majority of his 34 years in the Federal Highway Administration fighting to give everyone a fair chance. He is responsible for more than $2.5 billion in contracts to...