Tag Archives: Department of Public Works

City Hall costs keep rising

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A million-two here, a million-eight there, and pretty soon we’re talking about real money.

The City Hall restoration project already is projected to cost $70 million, but that is just for some of the work. Then there’s that pesky foundation and sidewalk stuff. The 2008 Department of Public Works budget included $1.2 million to study the problems, which include “significant settling” of the wood piling foundation. For 2009, Mayor Tom Barrett is proposing another $1.8 million “to commence initial construction in late 2009.”

Since the department hasn’t finished its study, though, we don’t know exactly what it will take to fix the foundation or how much it will cost.

DPW mishandles parking situation

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It’s not so much that the parking restrictions in Story Hill were waived for the Harley events at Miller Park. God bless Harley-Davidson and all the revenue and fun the 105th birthday bash brought to the city.

But man, if the Department of Public Works could deliver worse customer service to the people who live here, I’d like to know how.

There generally is no parking in the neighborhood for one hour before stadium events to one hour after stadium events. In June, when Harley representatives and Ald. Michael Murphy talked about the birthday party’s impact on the neighborhood during a Story Hill Neighborhood Association meeting, they assured us the H.O.G. event Thursday and the Harley parade Saturday would be treated as stadium events.

Oops. Never mind. On Thursday, the Story Hill Neighborhood Association delivered a flyer for the neighborhood picnic on Sept. 13. On the reverse side was the news that DPW decided not to enforce the parking restrictions on Thursday — the day the flyer was delivered — and on Saturday. I don’t know if everyone in the neighborhood got that flyer.  SHNA is a volunteer organization and the delivery system is not fail-safe.

Why on earth is it left to a neighborhood organization to let us know what DPW is up to? Why didn’t DPW tell us what was going on well in advance of the events? It could have changed a lot of plans for a lot of neighborhood residents.

There also is the matter of DPW just unilaterally deciding not to enforce an ordinance. Who at DPW decides that? Whom do I call at DPW when I want the ordinance to be waived? The precedent is disturbing. If DPW waives the parking rules for Harley-Davidson, can it treat the Milwaukee Brewers any differently if the Brewers have a huge play-off series and fans are arriving from all over and out-of-state? Can DPW legitimately turn anyone down who requests a waiver? Maybe there are criteria for deciding when or when not to enforce parking restrictions, but like the waiver itself, DPW hasn’t shared them with us.

Cars jammed into Story Hill Thursday afternoon. Photos by Paul Trotter.