As one of those homeowners…whew.

MMSD’s intent was good. It wants to keep storm water out of sanitary sewers. But the decision of its commissioners to force homeowners to install sump pumps, disconnect foundation drains and repair laterals seemed to come out of nowhere really fast without much thought of the real-world impact on said homeowners.

Hey: guys and gals on the commission — there’s an unemployment problem out here. A lot of people have taken pay cuts or had their pay frozen. Inflation is heating up and, finally, many of us just didn’t budget for MMSD to deliver that kind of bill.

MMSD now is considering a voluntary approach that would help willing homeowners fund the kinds of repairs MMSD originally was going to require. Mandates may be necessary down the line,  but this is the right way to go for now.

The old Sears warehouse on the Menomonee River — the site of scratch and dent sales for a generation — will be torn down soon if the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Commission approves a razing contract this month. 

“The view on State Street will change dramatically,” said MMSD spokesman Bill Graffin.

The commission’s Operations Committee will consider a proposal Monday to tear down the Sears building, 5901 W. State St., and the former Ashland property, 1029 R N. Hawley Rd., for $248,000. The recommended contractor is Walters Wrecking, of Brookfield.

“It’s no longer in use,” Ald. Michael Murphy said of the Sears building. “It’s in the floodplain now.”

Removing the building, which is part of MMSD’s western Milwaukee flood management plan, will make the land available for passive recreational use and flood storage and will improve the environment, he said.

The western Milwaukee plan ”will include the daylighting of Schoonmacher Creek under the former Sears building and the lowering of the former Central Ready-Mixed site” east of the Sears site, according to MMSD documents.

The demolition, if approved, is expected to take about three months and be completed in December.

The Operations Committee also will consider a $7 million contract with the Canadian – Pacific Railroad to build a temporary railroad bridge and additional box culverts at the site of the County Grounds detention basin project.

“The temporary bridge consists of two 85-foot long single spans on both the westbound and eastbound tracks,” according to MMSD documents. “A 145-foot long sheet pile wall between the tracks will allow the continual operation of trains during construction of Phase 2 of the District’s project.”

A quick trip out to the detention ponds Saturday showed that washouts are still a problem at the site, although some repairs have been made. Birds, however, have made use of the washed out area by moving into the vertical walls created by the washout.

Where the birds are.