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WFB Flooding, Bike Races, and Friends of Klode

Posted by on July 24, 2010

Klode, Bike Race, Deluge

Tired of cleaning your basement? 

Tomorrow, Sunday 7/25 the annual "Whitefish Bay Classic" bike race is running.  The first race starts at 11:30 and more follow until 8:30pm.  The "pro" race starts at 5:45.  Website here. 

I believe the race route is the same as 2009, so here's the map (note last year's date) .. There are many good public viewing spots along the entire route.

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FRIENDS OF KLODE PARK

Next up, the Friends of Klode Park is having their first meeting at Klode Park on Wednesday, July 28th at 7pm.    Below is an email that has been circulating through the Village.

If you'd like to be a part of this group and are on Facebook, please view the Friends of Klode group page by clicking here.  Then click 'join'.

To:             Residents of Whitefish Bay
From:         Newly Formed “FRIENDS OF KLODE PARK” Group

Important Community Meeting about Future Plans for Klode Park
Wednesday, July 28th – 7PM – Klode Park

Mission:

To encourage the development of a safe, healthy, environmentally-aware, universally-accessible comprehensive plan for the future of Klode Park based on child safety research and input from residents of Whitefish Bay

Purpose of meeting:

To come together with other concerned residents to discuss our wishes prior to the Village Board approving any more changes at Klode Park at the upcoming August 2nd Village Board Meeting

What we will do at the July 28th Community Meeting:

A Klode Park survey will be available for expressing your wishes and ideas.  We will compile these ideas with the research we are doing to share at the August 2nd Village Board Meeting.  There will also be a place to designate ways you can get involved by volunteering your time, energy, and expertise.

How you can help:

1. Attend “Friends of Klode Park” community meeting at Klode on July 28th at 7pm.
2. Invite your neighbors to come, too.
3. Join the “Friends of Klode Park” group on Facebook to stay informed.
4. Attend the August 2nd Village Board Meeting at 7pm to show support when we present a request to please halt continued plans at Klode until a comprehensive review can be made and an appropriate plan developed based on community input and safety standards.

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FLOODING UPDATE:

First off, the special garbage pickups will be rolling today, Saturday.  Clearly, they will not be able to reach the entire Village in one day, as the amount of garbage on curbs is enormous and includes large items requiring many trips.

The Village will be running these special pickups -- at no cost -- for at least two weeks, so be patient.

NOTE: They will NOT be able to pick up "electronic waste" which includes TVs, dehumidifiers, computers, due to new 2010 Wisconsin regulations.  HOWEVER.  The Village is planning another special pickup of these items, so they can be properly disposed of, but they will be left behind in these initial runs.

The WFB Library is now open.

I've toured around WFB, and it's pretty clear, the closer to Shorewood (and their combined sewers) you were, the worse the damage .. while the entire village was hit hard, the the 4700 blocks, east to west are the hardest hit.  Admittedly, I'm not expert enough to understand the sewer topography.  The biggest culprit is Mother Nature herself, dumping 11 inches of rain upon us.

I did receive a report that really made me unhappy.  A village worker was "booed" recently by residents.   I understand there's a tendency to look for someone to blame for woes, but booing a Village staff member is uncalled for.

A great number of village staff have been working around the clock since Thursday, let alone the efforts from the rain event last week.   One staff member was on vacation 250 miles away, and at 1 a.m. made the decision to drive through the night to help the effort in WFB. 

Village staff are trying to be as responsive as possible with the resources they have.  --  As a Trustee, I've asked dozens of questions and have been privy to the Village activities over the past two weeks and I'm confident they made the right moves at the right time with the systems they had to use. 

In the end, we had 8-11 inches of rain dumped upon us, and sewer systems that were designed decades ago.   2010's (and 2009) construction spending in WFB is the highest it has been in decades, as we systematically replace and upgrade systems that have been in place for 70-90 years.

It's a very long and expensive process, and Mother Nature works by different rules. 

Thank a village staff worker today.