The Daily Reporter articles from September 2005

The Daily Reporter archives from September 2005

Workers begin installation of glass curtain wall in Madison's Overture Center for the Arts.
September 1, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder The Overture Center for the Arts in Madison came one step closer to completion Wednesday. Workers installed the first panes of glass on Cesar Pelli's dramatic curtain wall, perhaps the most significant piece of...

Educare Center of Milwaukee is one of few in country.
September 2, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder Construction is a little behind on the $8.7 million Educare Center of Milwaukee, but Sharon Schulz says it's no cause for alarm. Schulz, executive director of the Next Door Foundation, says the dedication for the...

WI-based Michels Power sends convoy to help Katrina victims.
September 6, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder Michels Power, Neenah, deployed a convoy of employees Thursday to help with the massive relief effort to repair and clean up communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Thirty employees from the company, a division...

Waukesha officials criticize Great Lakes Annex draft.
September 7, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder Waukesha officials voiced their concerns over a loophole in the second draft of the Great Lakes Annex 2001. The current draft of the rules, which will regulate use of the lakes' water, is being criticized for a...

Simonson: Recovery from Katrina will take months.
September 8, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder Hurricane Katrina will leave a long-lasting mark on the nation's economy, the construction industry included, said the chief economist with the Associated General Contractors of America. "There's already activity,"...

Randall moratorium opposed by Wisconsin Association's.
September 9, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder The Wisconsin Realtors Associ-ation teamed up with the Wisconsin Builders Association and filed a lawsuit against the town of Randall. They charge that the town's moratorium on large-scale development is illegal, as...

WI Dept. of Transportation responds to call for historic preservation of deteriorating bridges.
September 12, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan The use of bridges to symbolize partnership becomes even more fitting when people want to destroy them. Milwaukee County has a history of scrapping for its bridges, from the street fighting during the 1845 Bridge War...

Failed Wisconsin painting contractor teaches inner city school children about business success.
September 13, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder Dereck McClendon spent the last six months teaching inner-city children that failure is a part of success. He should know. McClendon, until last year, was a leading commercial painting contractor winning regular...

Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity focuses in on Metcalf neighborhood.
September 13, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan A minister stood atop an empty building foundation in Milwaukee and quoted the Old Testament, "The sons of strangers shall build up thy walls." Five crews of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity workers held hands on the...

Transportation Development Assn. calls WI legislators' gas-tax holiday a gimmick.
September 14, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder State legislators' push to provide Wisconsin taxpayers with a gas-tax holiday met with exception last week from the Transportation Development Association. The TDA issued a statement Friday calling the holiday a...

Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District budget includes $140M in capital projects.
September 15, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District 2006 budget is what Executive Director Kevin Shafer calls a move toward "being responsible and addressing issues we need to address." "Our budgets have impacts on our...

Transportation think-tank assembled for Wisconsin freeway.
September 15, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan A national team of highway construction experts boarded two buses in Milwaukee Tuesday afternoon to explore the stretch of Interstate 94 leading into Illinois. Its mission? To come up with outside-the-box ideas to...

Lake Park Lutheran in Milwaukee celebrates renovation.
September 16, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder Lake Park Lutheran Church in Milwaukee celebrated the unveiling of its $1 million renovation project on Sunday. "It's fantastic," said Pastor David Dragseth. "The church set a goal to go above and beyond in this...

Milwaukee officials accused of racketeering.
September 16, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan An East Side Milwaukee developer Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city of making sweetheart deals on two property sales with two of his competitors. Joe Kaye, a starting developer who built a four-unit...

Verona rejects big box ordinance.
September 19, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder The Verona City Council's rejection of a big box ordinance last week has the city's chamber of commerce concerned. "The chamber's position was that we wanted to be ready when the big boxes approached," said Dave...

American Society of Civil Engineers stakes out role in hurricane relief effort.
September 20, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder Reconstructing New Orleans isn't going to be an easy task, but the American Society of Civil Engineers believes it can offer some insight in the rebuilding effort. That's why the society decided to form the New...

Milwaukee's 'Latin Quarter' eyed on south side.
September 20, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan A number of separate south side Milwaukee redevelopment initiatives would begin to converge with the creation of a Cesar Chavez Drive business improvement district. The proposed BID would fund street improvements on...

Refinancing package for Madison's Overture Center increases to $5M.
September 21, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder Just one month after Madison found itself pondering whether or not to put forth $2.1 million in the next six years to help refinance the Overture Center, the asking price has been raised. The Overture Foundation is...

Milwaukee development committee approves plan for Potawatomi casino expansion.
September 21, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan If everything goes according to the plan for the Potawatomi, they could break ground on a $240-million casino expansion project before winter hits Milwaukee. "Ultimately, we think this project will be a positive jobs...

WI Transportation Secretary speaks to Peter Favre Forum about faith and labor.
September 22, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan In a speech to the Catholic Peter Favre Forum Tuesday, Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi was funny and profound while talking about faith and labor. "The philosophy of solidarity is a strong part of...

University Square in Madison funding OK'd.
September 23, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder The State Building Commission approved the release of $56.9 million Wednesday for a major University of Wisconsin-Madison redevelopment project. The funds will be put toward the University Square project and...

Milwaukee County Board committee accepts offer on Park East parcel.
September 26, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan A Milwaukee County Board committee Thursday accepted the higher of two offers for its second Park East property and set aside $1 million of it for affordable housing. The Committee on Economic and Community...

Commentary: There's no such thing as a stupid question, is there?
September 26, 2005... Byline: Candace Doyle One of the best things about being a reporter is no one looks to you for answers. Your role is to do the asking. Sure, it helps to have a cursory understanding of the topic you're covering, if only to help...

Wisconsin Senate panel tackles state's energy issues.
September 27, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder Concerns ranging from the country's dependence on foreign oil to winter heating bills and the implementation of ethanol into gasoline were addressed at the state Capitol Monday. The Senate Committee on Energy,...

Jefferson Alderman Dave Olsen faces recall over Wal-Mart vote.
September 27, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan Jefferson Alderman Dave Olsen, the target of Tuesday's recall election, said he was once a popular politician. Last year, he said he set the city record for highest number of votes in a Common Council election, 776....

Equipment of now defunct WI-based Westra Construction hits auction block.
September 28, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder The first batch of equipment from the now defunct Westra Construction hits the auction block Wednesday, and there are already more than 200 registered bidders looking to take part in the action. The Gerlach Company,...

Milwaukee mayor outlines city's development plans.
September 28, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's proposed 2006 budget includes $28.3 million to create new tax incremental financing districts, $8 million more than the overall 2005 TIF budget. "I will continue to use all the financial...

Columbia St. Mary's Milwaukee campus wants area's subcontractors for expansion project.
September 29, 2005... Byline: Sean Ryan Columbia St. Mary's is ordering its builders to use the Milwaukee area's subcontractors, train its workers and send them off in better shape than they arrived. "Those are the hospital's customers, and it wants those...

Commentary: America's forgotten deserve much better than this.
September 29, 2005... Byline: Candace Doyle A picture may be worth a thousand words to most, but not to me. Words are what matter, what stir my soul. That's why what struck me the hardest while watching coverage of Hurricane Katrina was what one man...

Wisconsin on track, Transportation Development Assn. is told.
September 30, 2005... Byline: Paul Snyder Both the highlights and concerns of the year thus far were addressed at the Transportation Development Association's annual meeting in Madison Thursday. Frank Busalacchi, secretary of the state Department of...