The Daily Reporter articles from September 2007

The Daily Reporter archives from September 2007

Kupka, Bradley Tech in Milwaukee's new principal, says he's up for the challenge.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan If you use Bounce fabric softener, Ed Kupka has already made your life easier. In his previous career as an engineer for Proctor & Gamble, he led the conversion of Bounce from a tear-away sheet to the single-sheet...

Engineers are in demand in Wisconsin.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder It's not that engineering is a completely unpopular career choice, says Lisa Riedle, it's just that it's rather undefined. "It's such a generic term," said the associate dean of the College of Engineering,...

Chartering a new course in Milwaukee.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Freshman students won't be the only ones experiencing their first day of high school Tuesday. The School for Urban Planning and Architecture charter high school started its first year as well, although Lead Teacher...

Downtown Milwaukee to welcome 900 Manpower Inc. employees to new location.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The introductions have already been made. The city of Milwaukee will welcome 900 Manpower Inc. employees to the company's new downtown location on Sept. 17. Manpower is moving workers into the headquarters from four...

Habitat for Humanity goes green in Menasha.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder John Weyenberg wants to change one key perception of affordable housing. "The common thinking is that affordable housing equates to poor quality construction -- you know, cutting corners to make it affordable,"...

TIF for $23M office building approved by Milwaukee Common Council.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The Milwaukee Common Council on Wednesday voted 12-2 to approve more than $3 million in tax incremental financing to renovate the historic 735 North Water Street building. It was a reversal of the council's 9-4 vote...

Plans for Madison's Allied Drive move forward.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder It's been a year now since the Allied Drive community design meetings were held in Madison to instigate change in one of the city's most troubled neighborhoods. The wheels to realize those visions and ideas were...

Waukesha County executive announces funding agreement for interchange expansion.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas called a plan to build out the Interstate 94/Highway P interchange near Pabst Farms a "road map to success." Vrakas announced Tuesday a funding agreement had been reached for...

Engberg Anderson moving to Milwaukee's Third Ward.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Architectural firm Engberg Anderson Design Partnership Inc. will move from its downtown Milwaukee headquarters to the city's Historic Third Ward after Thanksgiving. For its new site, the company chose the P.H. Dye...

Wisconsin's General Mitchell International Airport plans $4M in projects.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The state gave an $814,617 grant for General Mitchell International Airport to help it do $4 million worth of projects. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation grant will combine with $554,617 from Milwaukee County...

Brennan to lead Discovery World in Milwaukee.
September 6, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Joel Brennan is leaving his post on Milwaukee's redevelopment authority to become the new president and CEO of Discovery World. Brennan was the manager of Tom Barrett's successful 2004 run for mayor of Milwaukee, and...

Improvements to Madison's Villager Mall planned.
September 7, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Madison's Villager Mall is about more than just commercial space, says George Twigg, spokesman for Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. It's an important gateway to the city from the south and an important setting for the...

Prevailing wage's costing Milwaukee subcontractor her business.
September 7, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Emerging business enterprise subcontractor HMB Contractors Inc. is asking Milwaukee to intervene on its behalf in a dispute over prevailing wage payments on the city's Department of Public Works headquarters. The...

Toldt Development planning to build in Wauwatosa.
September 7, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Toldt Development Inc. is looking to build one of the largest tax-paying developments in Wauwatosa on a former landfill site. The city agreed Aug. 7 to sell the property to the Brookfield-based developer, pending...

Q&A: National Labor Relations Board Milwaukee office attorney Percy Courseault III.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Percy Courseault III became the deputy regional attorney in the National Labor Relations Board's Milwaukee office in May. It's said that for presidents and legislators, their impacts can be measured by their first...

Wisconsin-based Metropolitan Builders Association hits the airwaves.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle The Metropolitan Builders Association is taking its expertise to the airwaves. The organization launched "Today's Home," a new radio show on WISN-AM that airs from 11 a.m. to noon every Sunday. Various MBA members...

Wisconsin jobs for the future discussed.
September 11, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder The RISE partnership is not just a program, says Roberta Gassman, it's a fundamental change. The secretary of the Department of Workforce Development was one of the keynote speakers Monday at a day-long conference...

Caleffi Hydronic Solutions opens new Menomonee Valley building.
September 11, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan At the ribbon cutting for a new North American warehousing facility, Caleffi Hydronic Solutions CEO Marco Caleffi listed a few reasons the Italian company chose to build in Milwaukee. For starters, it's colder up here...

Wisconsin chancellors commit to 'greener' campuses.
September 11, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Chancellors from several Wisconsin universities have signed a pledge to reduce their campuses' greenhouse gas emissions to zero. If they follow through on the long-range pledge, it should mean even more green...

Fresh Start program in Milwaukee planning seven more houses.
September 11, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Project Manager Eugene Wheeler said it is about building pride and self-respect as much as it's about building houses. He's helped 36 men between the ages of 17 and 24 transition from incarceration into employment...

Wisconsin Air Academy has lofty goals.
September 12, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Building a new school in four months sounds outlandish, but Jeff Starke, founder of the Wisconsin Air Academy, is counting on it. Ground was broken Monday on the 45,000-square-foot sixth- through 12th-grade school...

Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Commission won't change minority contractor program.
September 12, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan After hearing unanimous and strident opposition from construction groups Monday, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Commission is scrapping plans to rewrite its minority contracting program, said Chairman Pedro...

Wisconsin Sen. Kedzie announces adjournment, dissolution of committee.
September 12, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Nobody said studying the Great Lakes and how to divvy up power and water among its surrounding states would be easy. Sen. Neal Kedzie, R-Elkhorn, the chairman of the Study Committee on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence...

Waukesha County considering new health center.
September 13, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Diamonds may be forever, but buildings aren't. The cost of continual maintenance on Waukesha County's Health and Human Services Center is starting to outweigh the practicality of keeping it serviceable, and Waukesha...

Will Wisconsin's budget impasse hurt school referendums?
September 13, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle While the West Bend School District's $119.3 million referendum is grabbing the most headlines as the biggest bonding request since Milwaukee Public Schools asked for $366 million in 1993, there are several other...

Marquette's Associates in Commercial Real Estate program receives donation.
September 13, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Earlier this summer, Marquette University Professor Mark Eppli was considering putting the ACRE, or Associates in Commercial Real Estate, program on hiatus for a year. But all of that kind of talk is history, thanks...

Mendota Parkway project in Wisconsin still in early stages.
September 14, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder The focus of Wednesday night's North Mendota Parkway Implementation Oversight Committee meeting in Madison wasn't so much about where a road should go -- it was about where it shouldn't. Madison-based engineering...

Milwaukee Housing Trust Fund dollars available.
September 14, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Amid Thursday's protest at City Hall regarding funding for the Milwaukee Housing Trust Fund, elected officials said they wanted to stay focused on the positive. That would be the $2.5 million (PDF) available for the...

Feds fund 72 highway jobs in the Milwaukee area.
September 14, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Seventy-two local highway projects will receive $29.5 million in federal funds, Gov. Jim Doyle announced Tuesday. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation administered the funds through the federal Surface...

Milwaukee projects get federal funds.
September 14, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The U.S. Senate passed the funding bill for the Department of Housing and Urban Development that included $1.2 million for projects in Milwaukee. "The city of Milwaukee has always had great vision when it comes to...

Commentary: Meals & Deals.(Restaurant review)
September 17, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The three-martini lunch is passe, but making business deals over meals is as much a staple as peanut butter and jelly. With all of Milwaukee's new restaurants, though, PB&J isn't on the menu. What is can be found...

Bioenergy center in Milwaukee could trigger $1 trillion impact.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Surely, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center will make an economic impact in Wisconsin. After all, it's not every day the federal government hands the state $125 million over five years to establish a research...

Plans up in air for Army Reserve station site in Bay View.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan With a demolition deal in the works between the U.S. Army and city of Milwaukee for a reserve station in Bay View, local residents are thinking about the future of the six-acre property. Alderman Tony Zielinski, who...

Milwaukee Department of Public Works' switches to water-based street paint.
September 18, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan At first blush, it may seem silly to use water-based paint for traffic lines and crosswalks on streets. That's just ignorance. Don't feel bad about it: Not many drivers are curious enough to contemplate the dotted...

WasteCap Wisconsin names Big Diverter Award nominees.
September 18, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle WasteCap Wisconsin announced the nominees for its second annual R3 awards, which honor the top construction projects in recycling. The R3 award categories include outstanding commitment, board member, partnership...

Church in Stoughton destroyed in fire is reborn.
September 18, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Sometimes fire is a good thing. Not that anyone -- least of all Pastor Scott Geister-Jones -- would call the accidental fire set by some teen-agers that destroyed Christ Lutheran Church in Stoughton in 2005 a good...

State of Wisconsin extends bid deadline for green roof.
September 18, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Bids are due 2 p.m. Tuesday for the construction of a green roof atop the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Sandburg Hall Commons. The State Building Commission extended the deadline by two weeks - not due to a lack...

Milwaukee County Conservation Coalition threatens to sue construction company.
September 18, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The Milwaukee County Conservation Coalition threatened to sue Mark E. Carstensen Construction & Development Companies Inc., claiming its Shoppes at Wyndham Village project is affecting protected wetlands and isn't...

Data center, offices going up in Fitchburg.
September 19, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder The two new buildings going up in Fitchburg at a price of $40 million for CDW Burbee are big steps, says Phil LaForge, but they're also just incremental ones. "We're planning on these buildings being topnotch...

Milwaukee Public Schools projects hit hiring goals.
September 20, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Contractors who worked on Milwaukee Public Schools' $101 million Neighborhood Schools Initiative projects said the minority hiring and contracting programs worked because they had sharp teeth. The contracts said...

Midwest Environmental opens new office in Milwaukee.
September 21, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Midwest Environmental Advocates, a collection of attorneys arguing for environmental justice causes, has opened a new office in Milwaukee and named Karen Schapiro as its new executive director. "We're very excited...

'Green' travel touted by state of Wisconsin.
September 21, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle Tourism is sometimes Wisconsin's forgotten industry giant. But according to the 2006 Economic Impact of Expenditures by Travelers in Wisconsin study, prepared by Maine-based Davidson-Peterson Associates for the...

Milwaukee County seeks more minority apprentices.
September 21, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Milwaukee County supervisors want to assemble a study task force to find ways to get more minorities into construction apprenticeships. That could include requiring contractors on county projects to hire a certain...

Wisconsin Way focuses on changing tax system.
September 21, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder All the focus was on an initiative with no defined end, and Pat Goss admitted he was willing to be Pollyanna. Suffice to say, proceedings weren't exactly typical at the 2007 annual meeting for Wisconsin's...

Omaha-based ConAgra 1Q profit edges up.(Financial report)
September 24, 2007... Byline: Timberly Ross Omaha, Neb. -- ConAgra Foods Inc., a packaged food maker whose brands include Banquet, Chef Boyardee and Healthy Choice, said its first-quarter profit rose 5 percent as sales grew at twice that pace. Profit for...

Forbes released list of 400 richest Americans.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Jackie Farwell New York -- A billion dollars just doesn't go as far as it used to. For the first time, it takes more than $1 billion to earn a spot on Forbes magazine's list of the 400 richest Americans. The minimum net worth...

OSHA clear Brennan of improperly installing pipe in Milwaukee.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Joe Grundle The mechanical contractor charged by a federal safety agency with improperly installing a propane pipe that exploded at the Falk Corp. last December and killed three men was cleared of that charge. As part of a...

WALWORTH/Animal educational facility.
September 24, 2007... PROJECT: An animal educational facility at Big Foot High School in Walworth is planned. OWNER: Big Foot High School, Walworth CONSULTANT: Scherrer Construction Co. Inc, Burlington SCOPE: The single-story building would be 2,700...

Contractors in Wisconsin protest MnDOT bridge award.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Three contractors who filed unsuccessful proposals to rebuild the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis are protesting the state's decision to award a $233.7 million contract to Colorado-headquartered Flatiron Constructors...

Commentary: Meals and Deals.
September 24, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder A lot of business in Madison, like downtown itself, is centered around the Capitol. The city's walking-friendly size and plethora of eateries down its famed State Street make for plenty of options come lunchtime. ...

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett bashes state bumbling.
September 26, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan When unveiling his proposed 2008 budget and its 3.3 percent tax levy increase, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett focused on improving the city through public safety and creating jobs. And he had a few harsh words for state...

New $96M Sun Prairie school vote set Nov. 6.
September 26, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder The numbers are in. Sun Prairie voters will decide Nov. 6 whether to give the green light on $96 million to build a new high school with a $3.375-million pool. The proposal is $305,000 more than the...

American Transmission Co. on hot seat for $22M power plan project in Wisconsin.
September 26, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Sarah Justus knows public hearings allow the public to air opinions. Some are conflicting, others are harsh, but she's also heard most of them before. "I don't think the views expressed Monday were any different in...

Milwaukee Mayor Barrett wants to bolster declining neighborhoods.
September 26, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Mayor Tom Barrett's proposed budget includes a new initiative to prop up declining neighborhoods. He also plans to continue using tax incremental financing to spur job growth. Barrett is proposing $100,000 in...

Milwaukee Mayor Barrett touts job training investment.
September 26, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan The Office of Workforce Development received top billing among the job-creation programs Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett featured in his Tuesday budget speech. Barrett appointed a 20-member board to lead the program in...

Bulldozers clear way for Square B project in Milwaukee.
September 27, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Square B Development's plan to build five buildings on the corner of Greenfield Avenue and South First Street in Milwaukee will proceed Monday after it was pulled from a September agenda. The project, which requires a...

Madison will restore old park luster.
September 27, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Thirty years ago, Madison residents made it clear they didn't want Breese Stevens Field torn down. They feel the same way today. "Anytime you talk about restoring Breese Stevens, you get a very positive...

Madison mayor, builders unite on need for more workers.
September 27, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Taking a bit of time to talk can go a long way. Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz met with the Building and Construction Trades Council of South Central Wisconsin Wednesday to discuss a number of issues facing builders...

Minnesota Department of Transportation continues to get questions about expensive I-35 fix.
September 27, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Despite another protest about the Interstate 35 bridge reconstruction contract, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said it's still shooting for a mid-October construction start. "We are continuing to drive on...

Falk Corp. explosion lawsuit settled out of Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
September 28, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan J.M. Brennan Inc. and its insurer have settled out of court with the families of three workers injured in the December explosion at Falk Corp. Fifteen other workers injured in the accident were also part of the...

Resignations, criticism rain on new economic appointee in Madison.
September 28, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Mayor Dave Cieslewicz riled the business community by appointing Bill Clingan his new economic and community development director. Jennifer Alexander, president of the Greater Madison Area Chamber of Commerce joined...

Budget secrecy disturbs Milwaukee County supervisors.
September 28, 2007... Byline: Sean Ryan Supervisors were leery of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's 2008 budget proposal even before reading it so October's deliberations will likely be lively. Walker's 2008 budget speech to the County Board...

Interview with Dan Schooff: Deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
September 28, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder Gov. Jim Doyle said Monday he wants significant progress made on the 2007-09 state budget by Friday. Progress would mean a plan is in place for university funding at the very least. Wisconsin's inability to produce...

Last call for historic Union House Tavern in Madison arrives early.
September 28, 2007... Byline: Paul Snyder The Union House Tavern has been a place for Madisonians to spend time and money since 1858. Almost 150 years later, it's closing. Jane Curtis, who owned the bar with her husband, Earle Ehrhart, for the last 23 years...