Franklin Today

Have you noticed the activity near Loomis & Rawson?

Over the past few months, dump trucks have been regularly seen going to and from a large parcel of land long rumored to have major development potential near the Loomis & Rawson area, directly behind Pick n Save. Many residents have been making remarks about the constant in and out flow of these trucks for quite some time, and were curious about what was going on with the site.

The Spring races are official

Here is a summary of the races going on in Franklin for the April elections. There will be no need for a primary in February for any race.

DISTRICT 1 ALDERMAN - Alderman Steve Olson will be facing me

DISTRICT 2 ALDERMAN - Alderman Tim Solomon will be running unopposed

DISTRICT 5 ALDERMAN - Bryan Maersch will be facing Doug Schmidt

FRANKLIN SCHOOL BOARD - Incumbents Debbie Larson & Jeff Traylor will be running, as will Melissa Klein, Hugo Nguyen, and Paul Rotzenberg. 

I don't know if you know this or not, but when you look at the School Board races, ALL the candidates come out of the 4th Aldermanic District. Furthermore, when you look at the School Board as a whole, after April 6th there will be five School Board members from the 4th Aldermanic District. There are a total of seven members on the board. Doing the math, that means 3/4 of the School Board comes from one aldermanic district. I thought that's an interesting tidbit to share!

An update on the Spring, 2010 races!

A lot has happened in the past few days that residents should be aware of, especially in the 1st, 2nd, and 5th aldermanic districts. Here are the updates!

Trails Committee & the Franklin School District - this will be interesting!

Last week Thursday I attended, as always, the Franklin Trails Committee meeting. As I've said before, I believe this committee has a good mix of individuals who want to be involved and create/facilitate something positive for the community. So far, they've been making significant strides in their 3-months of operation, which is truly impressive given the lack of movement on several Franklin commissions, such as the Economic Development Commission.

The Trails Committee, as you know, is looking right now at providing pedestrian access for the students at Pleasant View Elementary School, and recently expanded the range of focus to include Franklin High School. This was thanks to a smaller, initial grant that allowed the committee to be a little more broad and receive funds to do so.

Trails Committee to expand first priority of network to include FHS

I was among three residents in attendance at last Thursday's Trails Committee meeting. Personally, I'm glad the number of residents was more than just me! It was a good evening for the committee, which is currently riding on a wave of support from Franklin residents to better connect the schools with their neighborhoods.

Purchasing buttons to attend Franklin Fest?

On Tuesday night's Common Council meeting, two of our commissions provided an update and report to the council. The Civic Celebrations Commission and the Fair Commission both presented their updates as well as their goals for the future. Mayor Taylor's budget currently has a 50% cutback on city support for both commissions, and the Civic Celebrations Commission noted a decrease in sponsor funding for Franklin Fest.

What does this mean, exactly? Well, after some discussion the concept of purchasing buttons to attend Franklin Fest really caught on with several aldermen.

Ridiculous voting by Olson on 51st Street

Those who have read Franklin Today know that I have my issues with 1st District Alderman Steve Olson. I have several blog entries (some would say tens) stating why. Well, his votes tonight added another reason for my frustration!

"Friends of Franklin Parks" proposed

Tonight's Parks Commission meeting will include discussion relating to a possible creation of an organization dedicated to parks ran by the City of Franklin. The organization, named as of right now the Friends of Franklin Parks, sounds very similar to the Park People of Milwaukee County, but on a more local scale.

"Why is it that the City of Franklin doesn't get the same type of treatment that other parts of Milwaukee County get?"

At last night's public listening session on the 2010 City of Franklin budget at the 36:00 mark, Mayor Taylor made the remark that is this blog entry's title. He referenced it after he mentioned that he and Alderman Tim Solomon frequently ask this question amongst themselves.

The mayor makes these remarks along the lines of knowing that other Milwaukee County suburbs frequently receive perks and amenities courtesy of assistance from the county, such as senior centers, swimming pools, water parks, etc. He noted Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's 2010 Milwaukee County Budget proposal which has an $11-$14 million Aquatic Center proposed for southeast Milwaukee County. Southeast Milwaukee County would be the suburbs of Oak Creek and South Milwaukee, so it's a safe bet that Oak Creek will receive another community amenity while, yet again, Franklin's busy gnawing on its dust particles.

Well, perhaps I can provide an answer for the mayor and Alderman Solomon regarding their frustration with the county.

Newly born Franklin Trails Committee meets for first time

After several months in waiting to get off the ground, the newly formed Franklin Trails Committee, which is a sub-committee of the Plan Commission, met for the first time last night. The concept of a Trails Committee came back in March, when residents united and fought back against the possibility of 51st Street going from a 2-lane to a 4-lane road. Many of the residents who spoke, as well as the majority upon being asked to raise their hands, were instead in favor of increased pedestrian accessibility - bike lanes, trails, and sidewalks - rather than enhanced speedways.

I'm personally pleased that my intentions on aiming to put Franklin First was announced earlier yesterday, because the Trails Committee meeting not only highlighted the sad situation our community faces but one member even quoted a comment that was posted on it!