Tag Archives: Sullivan

In the neighborhood…

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The Story Hill Neighborhood Association’s quarterly meeting will be held at 7 p.m. tomorrow (that’s Wednesday, for the calendar deficient) at the Wisconsin Humane Society, 4500 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Topic 1, and it ought to be a good one, is the sidewalk replacement program that is costing everyone south of W. Bluemound Rd. a small bundle (that we can pay installments). Yes, we will have really nice sidewalks and assessments to go with them while neighborhood streets will remain in a generally deplorable condition to form an eye-pleasing counterpoint. Rumor has it that the potholes will be designated as wading and swimming areas for the neighborhood block party this year.

I digress. Also on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting: State Rep. David Cullen (D-Milwaukee) and State Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) will stop by to discuss all things related to Wisconsin. Come and ask questions!

Applause for DOT; more for Sen. Sullivan and Ald. Murphy

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The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is planning to extend the Hank Aaron bike trail from Miller Park to 94th Pl. next year, according to WisDOT official Donna Brown.

Kudos to WisDOT for that smart move. The trail should help spark development of some of its neighboring properties, which are now in “far from ideal use” category. It also will provide an alternative transportation means during reconstruction of the Zoo Interchange.

The trail is supposed to head further west, but the Zoo Interchange project will involve reconstructing several overpasses that run directly over the trail. It’s possible that the western section will be opened as a crushed limestone trail, but no decision has been made yet, officials said at the quarterly Story Hill Neighborhood Association meeting.

Hats off to State Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) and Milwaukee Ald. Michael Murphy, who pushed hard to get the state to take on this important project.

State Fair finally gets it

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It’s a small thing, but oh, so welcome.

This year the State Fair will have a bike corral. Holy smokes! And only 100 years or so late!

Congrats to State Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa), the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin and State Fair Executive Director Executive Director Randy Prasse for getting this done.

Those of us who have hunted around for lock-up spots along the fence are grateful.

Hank Aaron extension getting electeds’ attention

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State Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) and Milwaukee Ald. Michael Murphy are pushing to develop and open the the Hank Aaron trail from Miller Park through the Veteran’s Administration and west past the Zoo to Underwood Creek Parkway, where it would hook up to the with the Oak Leaf Trail. The DNR has a nice map here.

The two, along with West Allis Ald. Marty Weigel, who also is chair of the county’s Trail Council, want the trail open before major construction begins on the Zoo Interchange project, to serve as an alternative east-west route.  

The DNR owns the abandoned rail line that will one day be the Hank Aaron extension. but the $1.6 million the department has to develop the trail is rapidly becoming not enough to complete the project because the price of asphalt needed to pave the trail is soaring. In addition, there are six overpasses that will be reconstructed during the Zoo Interchange project that hang directly above the trail. The trail likely would be extensively damaged during the Zoo Interchange project if it is paved before hand.

Yet, as the electeds point out, there is no reason the trail could not be “paved” with crushed limestone in that Zoo Interchange area. Folks may have to detour for a while, but most of the trail would be nicely paved, and all of it would be ride-able for much of the Zoo Interchange reconstruction period.

Sullivan, Weigel, Milwaukee bike / ped guy Dave Schlabowske, Hank Aaron Trail Manager Melissa Cook, Wauwatosa Mayor Jill Didier and others (Murphy had another commitment and was unavailable) met Friday at the Hawley Rd. entrance to the trail to discuss its development. There are some challenges, to be sure, as a tour on Sunday showed. The bridges need work — one of them is just downright scary — and there is a lot of loose rock in some small areas. Most of the vegetation growing along the trail is just different variety of invasive species and should be removed. Still, even in its unpaved, overgrown state, the trail (not officially open, so stay off it, ya hear?) is a level shot from the VA to west of Highway 100. People will use it, both for recreation and transporation.  

 

State Sen. Jim Sullivan and West Allis Ald. and County Trail Council Chair Marty Weigel discussing the future of the Hank Aaron Trail.