The Daily Reporter articles from May 2007

The Daily Reporter archives from May 2007

Reconstruction project for Beltline Highway in Madison begins Monday.
May 1, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Brian Wallace says nerves don't wake him up in the morning on the first day of a big new project; they usually wake him up intermittently the night before. It's a safe bet he probably slept pretty lightly on Sunday...

Chamberlin Group LLC starts construction services business in Brookfield.
May 1, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Steve Chamberlin sees the construction industry changing quickly, and he wants to help contractors change with it. The former 10-year president of CG Schmidt Inc. left the Milwaukee firm in October to start his own...

Southeastern Wis. Regional Transit Authority wants to loosen open meeting rules.
May 1, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan If any two commissioners on the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority want to discuss business, they must declare an open meeting with adequate public notification. That makes it very difficult to work out...

Public Service Commission of Wis., Wis. Public Utility Institute discuss clean coal's future.
May 2, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Clean coal and gasification technologies are promising for Wisconsin and the nation, says Dan Ebert, but one question remains. "What are we going to do with the carbon dioxide?" Ebert, the chairman of the Public...

Wis. Department of Commerce's Main Street Program hands out 20-plus awards.
May 2, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Portage's Hoop La! started out selling candy bouquets, expanded to cards, balloons and trophies and, with a little luck, may hire some party planners. The company started in August 2005, working out of the Mercantile,...

RSC & Associates to fund own economic analysis.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The issue on the table was whether the Milwaukee Common Council could or should order city staff to fully analyze requests for tax incremental financing applications. Alderman Michael D'Amato called for a complete...

Bestway Pavers Inc. equipment to be auctioned off.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle The owner of East Troy asphalt contractor Bestway Pavers Inc. filed for bankruptcy on April 18 and will auction off the company's equipment next week. Stacy Pillath bought Bestway from her father and company founder...

Baxter & Woodman opens Madison office.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Illinois engineering consultant firm Baxter & Woodman Inc. opened a Madison office on May 1. The new branch is Baxter & Woodman's ninth regional office and its second in Wisconsin. Baxter & Woodman also runs a...

We Energies builds barrier reef at Oak Creek power plant project.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan As part of its Oak Creek power plant project, We Energies is building a barrier reef that, it hopes, will serve as a buffet and love nest for Lake Michigan's yellow perch. But most simply, it'll be a 31,500-ton...

Registration requirements for Wisconsin engineers pushed.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Education was the topic du jour at the Capitol Wednesday. The Assembly Committee on Labor and Industry held a public hearing on two bills - AB 69, which establishes registration requirements for engineers, and AB...

Craig Thompson pledges to protect Wisconsin transportation funding.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin's transportation community has a new sheriff in town. Craig Thompson, 37, assumed his role as the executive director of the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin Monday, replacing Bob Cook,...

West Bend considers $80 million school referendum.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle The West Bend School District needs more space in its aging elementary and middle schools, so another building referendum topping $80 million looms this November. School Board President Charles Hillman wouldn't have...

Commentary: Biotech success heralded.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Sal Braico This weekend, a large Wisconsin delegation of biotech company executives, state officials, professors and others is heading to Boston for BIO 2007. BIO is the annual convention of anyone involved in the...

Chairman of Southeastern Wis. Regional Transit Authority says KRM's critical piece of infrastructure.
May 7, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Karl Ostby, chairman of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority, learned to deal with frustration before accepting his latest appointment. He and four colleagues founded a company to sell solar power in...

Federal ruling may end OSHA's policy of generals being liable for subs' violations.
May 9, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan A recent federal ruling could end the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's 24-year policy of fining general contractors for violations performed by a subcontractor's employees. The Occupational Safety and...

Milwaukee-based J.M. Brennan Inc. to contest OSHA violations.
May 9, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle The boom from a propane gas explosion at the Falk Corp. plant last December was felt for miles. On Monday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration lowered the boom on the two companies involved in the...

Dane County Board of Supervisors votes to oppose construction of NBAF facility at Dunn.
May 9, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Being the home base for a National Bio- and Agro- Defense Facility might be an exciting prospect for some Wisconsin towns, but not Dunn. The Dane County Board of Supervisors on Thursday backed up the Town Board's...

FLLW Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program Inc. to host Wright architectural tour.
May 9, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Frank Lloyd Wright fans can get an up-close look at a cluster of private summer homes and estates he designed around lakes Delavan and Geneva in a June 9 architectural tour. Five of the eight original...

Grant lets River Steel build plant in West Salem.
May 9, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The U.S. Department of Commerce is giving $1.1 million to the village of West Salem to improve infrastructure to expand the Lakeview Business Park, which is owned by La Crosse County. The work will allow River Steel...

Waukesha raises water rates.
May 10, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The Waukesha Water Utility wants to become Wisconsin's first municipality to tailor its water rates to encourage residential customers to conserve. General Manager Dan Duchniak said the rate plan would use higher...

Village of Luck gets Wisconsin grant for library, museum.
May 10, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The village of Luck will get a $100,000 grant from the state to help build a new museum and library. "One of my biggest jobs as governor is making sure communities have the resources they need to grow and remain...

Green Bay assemblyman: Lift nuclear power plant moratorium.
May 10, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle The state's moratorium on nuclear power plant construction will be lifted if the Legislature follows recommendations by the Joint Legislative Council's special committee on nuclear power. Thursday, the JLC will vote...

Wisconsin task force begins tackling global warming.
May 10, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder The first meeting of the governor's task force on global warming played out very much like the first day of school. The agenda for the meeting in Madison Wednesday called for establishing tasks, rules, contacts and...

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker marks fifth year in office.
May 10, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker on Tuesday marks his fifth year in the county office by giving a retrospective about his term to the Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee. He first pointed out that the past five county...

Developer wants Milwaukee's Pabst Brewery building razed.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan After a rejection from the Historic Preservation Commission, the Brewery Project LLC is asking the Milwaukee Common Council for permission to tear down the Pabst Brewery's old dried grains building. The move echoes a...

On Wisconsin: Rep. Steve Wieckert proposes a new state brand.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder It was a positive and productive day in the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Recreation and State Properties meeting Thursday for Rep. Steve Wieckert. Wieckert, R-Appleton, saw AB 66, his bill to allow the Wisconsin...

Vernon County circuit judge voids Sparta's ethanol plant approval.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle The city of Sparta will give it another go. Upon request from all parties involved in a lawsuit over Sparta's approval of an $80 million ethanol plant development next to a Century Foods International food...

Two Wisconsin schools earn six Solar Olympics honors.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Wisconsin's 11th Annual Solar Olympics were held Wednesday and the De Pere and Marinette high school teams tied for the most medals earned with six apiece. The Solar Olympics is a high-school competition in which...

Four New North companies make Fortune 1000 list.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Four New North companies were named to the 2007 Fortune 1000 list Thursday: Associated Bank, Neenah-based Bemis Co. Inc., the Manitowoc Co. Inc. and Oshkosh Truck Corp. "The New North is one of the best places in...

Wisconsin's transportation fund attacked.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Rep. Jerry Petrowski wasn't exactly subtle about what he wants to see happen to the state transportation fund. Petrowski, R-Marathon, the chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, asked all who testified...

Milwaukee civil rights leader Wesley Scott honored.
May 14, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan People are truly missed when their loved ones talk about what they'd do or think "if they were here today." That's how Milwaukee civil rights leader Wesley Scott was invoked by family, friends and colleagues during...

Alliant Energy wind farm in Eden and Empire gets go-ahead.
May 15, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Wisconsin Power and Light Company received unanimous approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Wednesday to build Alliant Energy's first owned wind farm. The Cedar Ridge Wind Farm, which will be...

Secretary of Wis. Department of Workforce Development says despite gains, more jobs needed.
May 15, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Roberta Gassman says that the creation of 170,000 jobs in the past four years in Wisconsin is significant, but it also should just be a start. The secretary of the Department of Workforce Development said Friday...

Milwaukee Alderman Michael McGee Jr. wants project rebid.
May 15, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee Alderman Michael McGee Jr. wants the city to find new buyers for two city-owned properties where the developers haven't met the deadlines to begin construction. When the city sells a property, the agreement...

Sen. Russ Feingold: Water projects must consider climate change.
May 15, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Global warming this, global warming that. The topic is everywhere these days, and it's unlikely that fears over the effects of future climate changes will subside any time soon. With global warming in mind,...

Zenith Tech, American Bridge shift blame for project in Milwaukee.
May 16, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan American Bridge Manufacturing and Zenith Tech are negotiating which will pay the fees for not meeting the state's completion date for the State Street Bridge restoration project. The contractors will miss the May 25...

Alderman proposes extending Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line.
May 16, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle The Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail project's struggles to pin down a funding source are well documented. But that hasn't stopped one Milwaukee alderman from proposing to extend the line an additional 14...

$3.2M in brownfield grants awarded in Wisconsin.
May 16, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 announced Monday that $3.2 million in brownfield grants were awarded to six Wisconsin cities and one American Indian reservation. The Milwaukee Redevelopment...

Top Job.
May 17, 2007... GLENDALE/New high school PROJECT: Construct new high school for Torah Academy of Milwaukee OWNER/DEVELOPER: Torah Academy of Milwaukee, Glendale SCOPE: The owner is seeking city approvals to build a 10,000-square-foot Jewish high...

Milwaukee's Three Holy Women Catholic Parish raising the roof.
May 17, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan It's one year after Milwaukee's Three Holy Women Catholic Parish started a fund-raising effort to replace the roof on St. Hedwig church, and the scaffolding is going up. The parish has raised $600,000 so far --...

Wisconsin Department of Health issues water warning.
May 18, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Wisconsinites better take precautions against the funky stuff in the swimming hole this summer. That's the gist of a state's Department of Health and Family Services warning that disease-causing protozoa like giardia...

Aurora Health Care breaks ground on medical center in Waukesha County.
May 18, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle A burst of applause coupled with a smattering of yahoos greeted Summit Town Board Member Elaine Kraut as she welcomed a large crowd to Aurora Health Care's groundbreaking ceremony Thursday in Waukesha County. ...

Valued-engineering bill preliminarily OK'd by Wisconsin Assembly.
May 18, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Despite a delayed start, once the state Assembly started taking up bills Wednesday, it flew right through proceedings. Most of the bills that were brought up in session were immediately sent over to the Senate,...

Kenosha's thinking big about smaller development.
May 21, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Bigger is typically better for developers, but smaller is sweeter for some cities. The city of Kenosha, for example, is currently accepting bids for a 30-acre, 110-lot single-family subdivision just outside an older...

Kenosha's thinking big about smaller development.
May 21, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Bigger is typically better for developers, but smaller is sweeter for some cities. The city of Kenosha, for example, is currently accepting bids for a 30-acre, 110-lot single-family subdivision just outside an older...

Energy efficient amendment in Wisconsin failed.
May 21, 2007... Byline: Lindsey Huster Sen. Mark Miller's motion to issue $50 million in energy efficiency revenue bonds to Wisconsin school districts failed to be adopted by the Joint Finance Committee. The effort was one of four priorities selected...

Two developers chosen for Milwaukee subdivision.
May 22, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Cindy Kuhs has been building and selling homes around 20th and Walnut streets in Milwaukee for a decade, but her selling prices are $100,000 higher than they used to be. "There are more neighbors now that have a...

American Transmission Company's planning another transmission line in Wisconsin.
May 22, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder With all the hubbub that the American Transmission Company's proposed 345-kV line has caused in Dane County throughout the past year, talk of another one still might seem a tad much. But the ATC says this one will...

Kewaunee County residents embrace 'Natural Step'.
May 22, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle A handful of Kewaunee County residents are the latest to jump on board the teachings of a sustainable development book sweeping the state. Study circles continue to form around The Natural Step for Communities: How...

Corrective bill would provide relief to some ratepayers in Wisconsin.
May 23, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder AB 322 is nothing more than a temporary fix, but ratepayers in Antigo, the St. Croix Valley and especially Wisconsin Rapids will most likely breathe a sigh of relief if it makes it to the governor's desk. Sponsored...

Panel in Milwaukee votes to protect river from development.
May 23, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Drafting special zoning regulations to protect the Milwaukee River from overdevelopment should be a breeze except for accommodating a handful of properties that are primed for redevelopment, said Milwaukee Alderman...

Appleton among top 25 best affordable suburbs.
May 23, 2007... Byline: Lindsey Huster Appleton was singled out as one of the 25 Best Affordable Suburbs in the Midwest by Business Week, which praised the city for its low crime, cleanliness, great schools and affordable home prices. "Appleton is one...

State unemployment rate drops in Wisconsin.
May 23, 2007... Byline: Lindsey Huster Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman announced that the state's unemployment rate for April 2007 was 5.3 percent, a 0.3 percent point decrease from 5.6 percent in March. "Our...

State of Wisconsin sells land to Sawyer County.
May 23, 2007... Byline: Lindsey Huster The state of Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands announced the sale of 998 acres of state land to Sawyer County. The sale consolidates Sawyer County's holdings to ensure more productive timber and...

Appleton-based Casaloma honored for environmental performance.
May 23, 2007... Byline: Lindsey Huster Casaloma Development Corp., an Appleton-based housing development firm, was honored in a ceremony by Department of National Resources Secretary Scott Hassett for being the first company to participate in the state's...

South 27th Street corridor in Milwaukee plans to be unveiled.
May 23, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle The firms contracted to design the South 27th Street corridor streetscape in Oak Creek and Franklin will unveil their work to the cities' Joint Common Council Tuesday and then to the public in an open house May 31. ...

Regional transit authorities backed in Wisconsin.
May 24, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder The future of Wisconsin's transportation system was the topic du jour at the Capitol Wednesday, and a big part of it may be in the hands of local governments throughout the state. The Senate Committee on...

Dover Town Board rejects ethanol plant.
May 24, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle As expected, the Dover Town Board followed the results of an advisory referendum and rejected developer Bob Kordus' $70 million ethanol plant proposal. The three-person board, which consists of three newly elected...

Milwaukee panel approves Walnut Circle housing project.
May 24, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Before approving the Walnut Circle housing development on city-owned land around 20th and Walnut streets, Milwaukee aldermen asked if it would be competing with other city-supported projects in the area. The city,...

BJ's Wholesale posts lower 1Q profit.(Financial report)
May 24, 2007... Natick, MA (AP) - Warehouse club operator BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. said its first-quarter profit fell 11 percent from a year-ago period that included higher interest income and a one-time gain on lease obligations. Net income declined to...

Rivianna hotel and condo project in Milwaukee hits snag.
May 24, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Somebody in the audience muttered, "This is ridiculous." The Milwaukee Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee clerk had just turned the lights down and rolled the DVD of a Robinson R44 Raven helicopter flying...

Dahlman Construction hits home run with Milwaukee Brewers' project.
May 24, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle The smallest jobs can have the highest profiles. Take, for instance, the concrete work on the Milwaukee Brewers' "Walk of Fame" and now the new plaque commemorating the landing spot of Hank Aaron's 755th and final...

Top Job.
May 24, 2007... West Bend/Art museum Project: West Bend Museum of Art Owner/Developer: West Bend Museum of Art Architect: Hammel Green & Abrahamson Inc., Milwaukee Scope:A $12 million fund-raising campaign kicked off Wednesday for the...

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker unveils county bus plan.
May 25, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker announced his local transportation improvement plan Thursday, and if nothing else, it's the cheapest proposal yet. Walker said he would use $59.5 million of the $91.5 million...

Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District to change minority contracting program.
May 25, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Under the threat of litigation from a national group, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District is in the process of removing its minority contracting goals. The goals would be replaced by the more general...

Transportation group takes on Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.
May 25, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder The governor's proposed oil fee assessments for the next state budget continues to stir debate both inside and outside the Capitol in Madison. The Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association rebuked Wisconsin...

Successful leaders in Wisconsin's construction industry offer advice.
May 29, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Being a leader in any facet of Wisconsin's construction industry isn't easy. Being a successful one is even harder. You can spend money on education learning the tricks of respective trades and the necessary...

Public Service Commission of Wis. has new water conservation coordinator.
May 29, 2007... Byline: Daily Reporter Staff Jeff Ripp is one week into his new post as water conservation coordinator for the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. It's now his job to advise the commission on technical details as the commissioners...

Associated Bank opens new office in downtown Milwaukee.
May 29, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Associated Bank is opening a third office in downtown Milwaukee at the Two Plaza East building on East Kilbourn Avenue. "As we've grown over the past several years, we have been looking for the right location that...

Waukesha water rate increase OK'd.
May 29, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Thursday approved a water rate increase for the Waukesha Water Utility. The new rate system, in an attempt to encourage conservation, lowers the amount of water customers...

The Waterfront project in Oshkosh will continue.
May 30, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Four months after approving an option agreement with Akcess Acquisition Group LLC, Oshkosh officials heard an update of the developer's plans for The Waterfront. What they were told is that a 55,000-square-foot...

Feingold unveils four-pronged affordable housing plan.
May 30, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder legislation he had introduced in Washington, D.C., to increase access to affordable housing for low-income families. Affordable housing is becoming less and less available in this country for those who need it most,...

Feingold unveils four-pronged affordable housing plan.
May 30, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Russ Feingold says that funding for affordable housing shouldn't always be playing catch-up throughout the country. Feingold, D-Wis., was in Madison Tuesday to announce legislation he had introduced in Washington,...

Small Business Administration bill would ease federal contracting criteria.
May 30, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore is one of 29 federal legislators supporting a bill that would allow more and larger small businesses to receive federal contracting assistance. The bill would loosen some of the...

Pinched at the Pump: Wisconsinites question who or what may be to blame for soaring gas prices.
May 31, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder With everyone mindful of the pinch at the pump this season, the annual summer roundabout of questioning who or what may be to blame for soaring gasoline costs is back in full swing. This year, of course, there's a...

Pinched at the gas pump: Gov. Doyle goes after oil companies.
May 31, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder With everyone mindful of the pinch at the pump this season, the annual summer roundabout of questioning who or what may be to blame for soaring gasoline costs is back in full swing. This year, of course, there's a...

Waukesha gets yet another hospital.
May 31, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle As Waukesha grows, so does its number of hospitals. Last week, the city plan commission approved preliminary architectural plans for ProHealth Care and St. Louis-based Centerre Healthcare's $13 million...

Milwaukee 7 group wants region to be 'global capital' for manufacturing.
May 31, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The Milwaukee 7 group Wednesday agreed that the future of manufacturing in southeastern Wisconsin is with companies most interested in high-tech products requiring highly-skilled workers. It's not a place for...