January 24, 2009 This is the first progress report on my plan for improving the Village of Whitefish Bay. It includes comments on progress from April 1, 2008 through January, 2009. I plan to periodically update this report, as time permits. 1. We need to properly maintain the Village Infrastructure As noted before, the Village has fallen behind in maintaining the Village's infrastructure. Beginning in 2009, we have established an aggressive schedule to catch up on needed road work, sanitary and storm sewer upgrades, and improvements to other Village infrastructure. This includes the 'streetscape' improvements to Silver Spring Drive, along with the rebuilding of the western portion of Fairmount Avenue and of Cumberland Boulevard, and extensive sewer work. The Village will also be implementing 'mill and overlay' technology for a number of Village streets. Mill and overlay can be a very cost effective technique for upgrading Village roads that are structurally sound and do not require extensive underground utility work. We are also looking at the stability of the lake bluff at Klode park, to ensure that the walkways and beach are not jeopardized. 2. We need to do a better job overseeing Village construction projects The work plan summarized above is indeed aggressive and will require extensive oversight and
coordination. We are consolidating engineering services in order to
implement the plan efficiently. Finally, the Village has hired a new
Village Engineer, who will be starting on February 2nd. His background
and experience should help ensure that the projects are implemented
well. 3. We need to improve the decision-making process I believe we are beginning to do a better job of making decisions and implementing appropriate action in a more timely manner. Hopefully this will soon be reflected by improvements to the Silver Spring business district. 4. Fiscal restraint The
Whitefish Bay board has done a good job of controlling the increase in
property taxes devoted toward Village services. We need to continue
this fiscal restraint, while providing the services expected by
Whitefish Bay residents. I'm hoping that we can find a way to benchmark our services to that of the
best communities in the Midwest, to explore ways of increasing the efficiency of
operations and to help hold down costs. 5. Building a better sense of community One
of the things that attracted us all to the Village is the community
atmosphere. Some communities have reinforced that community feeling by
the creation of volunteer-run neighborhood associations. Active
neighborhood associations can become a critical part of the social
foundation of the Village and can make neighborhoods more enjoyable
places to live. They can also provide the eyes and ears of the
community for the Village Board and allow the Village staff to better
measure the quality of the services they provide. While I have discussed the formation of neighborhood associations with Village staff and with various interested parties, we have not yet implemented this initiative Trustee Thomas Schmid has prepared a memorandum that details a number of ways the Village can improve pedestrian safety at critical road crossings. Some of these measures will be implemented this year with the 'streetscaping' project for Silver Spring Drive and the rebuild of the Cumberland/Oakland intersection. We are also looking at several other crossings that are not pedestrian friendly, to see how they may be improved without disrupting traffic flow needlessly. 7. Building a sense of history I
have been working with the Whitefish Bay Historic Preservation
Commission to identify the historic and architecturally significant
homes and other sites within the Village. We have created an inventory
that currently documents over 90 significant properties within
Whitefish Bay and we expect to expand this to well over 100 sites. During 2009 we are launching a 'medallion project' which will begin installing bronze sidewalk markers to identify the historic and architecturally significant sites within the Village. Once they are installed we plan to prepare brochures and walking tours that will help build on our sense of Village history. 8. Improving Village Governance I have worked to ensure that the agenda for each board meeting is available for anyone attending the meeting, and to clarify the portion of the meeting available for communications and petitions from the public. 9. Improving communications The Village launched its redesigned website late last year. The newly implemented site has a number of features that provide a timely source of information. For example, residents can sign up to receive automatic email notices of board and commission meetings, along with their respective agenda. The police chief is using the new technology to provide periodic safety alerts. We still need to do more, but I believe we are making progress. 10. Village skating rink This year, for the first time in several, the Village installed skating rinks at both Cahill Square and Kode Park. In spite of some very cold weather, the rinks are getting good use.
Progress on Plans for Improving the Village
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A number of volunteers have stepped up to shovel snow off of the rinks. Before next winter, I hope to explore more cost-effective ways of building these rinks.