April Showers No Problem for Shorewood Sewers

The village hasn't received any reports of basement backups as of Friday, despite continual rain-showers this week.

Village Manager Chris Swartz said the village hasn’t received any reports of basement backups as of Friday afternoon, despite more than four inches of rain falling since Monday in the village. Swartz said there hasn’t been the type of rainfall that typically would cause issues with sewer backups or street flooding. “The intense rains are what usually cause problems,” he said. “We have always been able to handle this type of rainfall.” The village has done metering during the week of April showers — meaning they are monitoring how much rain has fallen and how the sewers are responding. Shorewood has been working to revamp its sewer system via its $34 million comprehensive plan, after torrential rains caused flooding problems and sewer …

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Shorewood Won't Regulate Little Free Libraries

Village doesn't plan to follow Whitefish Bay's lead at this point in regulating the free book boxes.

Although Whitefish Bay has become the first municipality in the country to keep Little Free Library boxes out of front yards, Shorewood — which has also seen the phenomenon — has no intentions to regulate them at this time, the village manager said. Village Manager Chris Swartz confirmed that Shorewood has an ordinance preventing general structures in front yards, similar to Whitefish Bay's. Swartz said most municipalities have them. “Everyone has a similar type ordinance about structures in front yards,” he said. “It’s common and dates to the 1960s and 50s.” However, Swartz said he believes that “ordinances should be cultivated based on need and debate a bit,” and in Shorewood, no one has complained about the boxes, which have sprouted up…

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Police Work On Minor Neighbor Disputes Would Be Curbed under Village Program

With roughly 25 percent of police work being resolving neighbor disputes over property boundaries, noise or leaf raking, among other issues, a new mediation program would provide an alternative and free up police for other calls.

Roughly 25 percent of the Shorewood Police Department's work is classified as “social work," mediating minor conflicts between neighbors. The most common issues between neighbors include pets, fences, tree limbs, parking and noise, in addition to seasonal complaints about lawn mowing, leaf raking and snow shoveling.  The village hopes to curb the department's "social work" with a new program — the Neighborhood Mediation Program — which would work to resolve minor conflicts between neighbors before they become larger conflicts and free up police to response to more pressing issues.  “Shorewood PD is happy we have another option for neighbors, “ Police Chief David Banaszynski said. “Sometimes neighbors have issues with each other, issues …

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Block Parties Have Become Staple in Shorewood

This year, for the first time, Shorewood has started using the number of block party permits issued to measure how well the members of the community are interacting with one another.

Block parties have become a Shorewood staple that village officials say demonstrates the community's values, and the number of neighborhood gatherings in the village is holding strong with an average of 42 a year. This year, the village is on pace to hit that three-year average. And this year, for the first time, Shorewood has started using the number of block party permits issued to measure how well the members of the community are interacting with one another. Numbers show that since 2008, the residents of Shorewood have been very active in that department. The numbers are as follows: According to Village Manager Chris Swartz, block parties are a good indicator of strong community values. “Our Shorewood Vision Plan calls for strong …

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Act 10 Ruling Leads to 'Hurry Up and Wait' Approach in Shorewood

As the village and school district prepare to finalize budgets, they say all they can do is wait and see what happens after the state's collective bargaining law was ruled unconstitutional on Friday.

Municipal and school district leaders are left pondering, "What's next?" after Friday's ruling that the state’s collective bargaining law is unconstitutional. Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas' ruling on Act 10 came out of the blue and at a time when municipalities and school districts are in the middle of budget planning for the next fiscal year, or putting the finishing touches on budgets. School District Superintendent Martin Lexmond said like many school district across the state, Shorewood is in "wait and see mode." "We’re paying attention to any new information about how to respond," Lexmond added. The teacher's union has been in contract negotiations with the district, and Lexmond said he hasn't been approached by rank-and-file …

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"Mark" his words

7:06 am on Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Mark Clingaman hides behind the name of "Free Shorewood."   more ›

How Does Shorewood Compare to Other Metro Area Communities in Terms of Spending, Debt?

New report looks at municipal spending and debt per capita in 2010, and Shorewood was in the middle of the pack.

A handful of villages and cities in the Milwaukee metro area considerably outpaced their fellow municipalities when it came to spending and debt levels in 2010, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Taxpayer Alliance.  In terms of debt per capita, Saukville ($3,353) and Sturtevant ($3,157) were in the top dozen among the 243 municipalities the Madison-based organization collected data on for its annual examination of municipal spending trends. At the other end of the debt spectrum, Greendale was reported to have $1 of debt per capita. Near the middle of the pack, Shorewood reported $1,759 of debt per capita. The report also showed spending on operations among the municipalities. Sussex ranked the most frugal among the 18…

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Village Board OKs $34 Million Plan to Fix Sewers

After months of debate and several changes, Shorewood moves forward with plan to address faulty sewers.

Saying they need to send a message to residents that they are serious about addressing Shorewood’s sewer woes, village trustees Monday approved a comprehensive sewer plan with a $34.1 million price tag. "It really makes sense to do this," Village President Guy Johnson said. "This is the board going on record saying, 'We're ready for the next step.' " However, the village will nail down the finances and construction schedule at a future meeting. Officials also agreed to add information to the plan that addresses why certain areas of the village are not being included in the sewer project. Trustee Michael Maher said the board just wants to document that those areas haven't been forgotten and its investigation shows these areas haven't shown …

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Big Bay Brewing Co. Sets Up Shop in Shorewood

The local and relatively new WI brewer will open its first tasting & retail store in the heart of Shorewood.

New business is flowing fast into the Shorewood area, and what flows better than a locally-brewed beer? Milwaukee’s Big Bay Brewing Company has come a long way since November, 2010 when the first batch of their beer hit store shelves and restaurant bars. You can now find their beer at hundreds of retailers in Wisconsin, but what you won’t find is a company location — until now. Big Bay is in the final stages of construction on a newly renovated store-front on North Oakland Avenue across from Shorewood’s Cornerstone building. The scheduled opening date is March 15, but if you peer through the windows, you’ll see the start of a cozy-cabin décor with a sleek modern twist. “This is to give people a sense of location,” says company owner, Jeff …

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New Businesses Might Boost Property Values

As the Shorewood business district booms, residents can expect their property values to enjoy the ride.

More than a handful of new businesses have recently opened in Shorewood, transforming the village's business district into a destination for business owners and consumers. A season of construction produced eight new Shorewood businesses, such as those in the newly constructed Cornerstone building, with another six expected to open soon including new shops and offices on Capitol Drive and Oakland Avenue. And Village Manager Chris Swartz said he is still working hard, putting Shorewood's business district on the Milwaukee map. “Anytime you improve your business district, it brings a big buzz to the community because you have a destination district,” said Swartz. Along with a booming business district comes booming property values, Swartz …

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Faces of Shorewood

Small Community Perfect Fit for Village Manager

Chris Swartz does three-village tour before calling Shorewood home.

Shorewood Village Manager Chris Swartz has had his hand in small local government for nearly three decades. He first gained an insider's view of village government while a summer intern with Elm Grove in the early 1980s. That small taste, however, was enough to set him on a path to make government work a career—specifically, small government. "When I was in Elm Grove as an intern, I became very interested in working in smaller government," Swartz said. The experience, he said, revealed that working for a small village is an opportunity to "make a positive impact on a community and a region."  Swartz's career pursuit next led him southeast to East Troy in 1986,  to serve as village clerk for four years, then north to Sussex, to take the job…

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Desty Lorino

10:00 am on Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Nicely written. It's not always easy to reach a consensus and in a diverse community like Shorewood we should be thankful to have the leadership we have.   more ›