The Brookfield Scene

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer.  Children return to school, and they often have to report on what they did during summer vacations.

Several St. John Vianney students have much to tell. 

The float they created won the Mayor’s Award for Most Significant Spirit of the 4^th of July.  The Award and several pictures from the parade are on display at St. John Vianney. 

Pictures say a thousand words, but this user could not overcome the technological challenges.

As most readers know, I live in the Town of Brookfield.  I am about 30 feet from the city line. 

 For about two months, Brookfield's Economic Development Committee has been considering the city's staff proposal to solicit bids for convention and visitor bureau services beyond its existing provider.  These services have been provided by the Brookfield Convention and Visitors Bureau for nearly twenty years.   The bureau is currently autonomous and apparently the mayor and his staff want more control and more accountability from the bureau.

The Bureau's marketing efforts are funded by the city's and town's hotel room taxes. 70% of its revenue is from city hotels; 30% is from the town's hotels. As of the July 28 meeting, the town had not been informed about the city's intent to 'secede'.

Several attendees at the July 28 meeting spoke against the proposal.  An attorney for the Brookfield Convention & Visitors Bureau said the city seemed to be trying to find a solution without defining the problem.  Another person voiced that ‘the proposal was not a positive step' toward regional cooperation.  (As of July 28, the town was not aware of the city's proposal.) 

All but one committee member favored moving forward - sending Requests for Proposals (RFPs) with an anticipated turnover date of January 1, 2009.

Dan Ertl, community development director stressed that, "The Mayor and city department heads have suggested that this is the model that needs to be followed to effectuate change."

This week, Mayor Jeff Speaker clarified the motivation by suggesting that some of the hotel tax revenue should be used toward further economic development of the city.  Is that the intent of the hotel room tax?

The Brookfield Police Department is trying to reduce its fleets gasoline costs.  The solutions: limiting travel (up to 10%) for 7 to 8 squads on each of shift; turning squad engines off (rather than idling) when stopped; having more foot patrols; and staffng two-'man' squads.

Most of these solutions make sense.  But doubling up in squads doesn't seem an effective use of human resources in Brookfield.  Two-'man' squads are generally used in areas subject to more violent crimes - where crowd control is needed.  

Each week, our local paper carries police reports.  The city usually has about 20 reports of burglary, vandalism and other crimes each week.  Crime takes place at homes and businesses throughout the city.  But Brookfield's "mall" is a common single location for crime. Increasing the visiblility of police at Brookfield Square, and a patrol of the perimenter could prevent crime from happening.

Enforcing the speed limits on city streets could also make our roads safer and generate revenue for the city.

Some readers might recall past posts about the Elmbrook Historical Society and its Dousman Stagecoach Inn.  The 1843 Greek Revival Inn once stood on the corner of Watertown Plank and Bluemound Road.  This stately home is Brookield's only landmark on the National Registry of Historic Places.The home was given to the city in 1980 and it was relocated to a city park..

The non-profit Elmbrook Historical Society raised funds to move the home, build a bridge to the site about a half mile north. After the move in 1981, members of the historical society restored the inn to the 1850s-1870s when the stagecoach inn was operated by the "Browns."

Sunday, August 3 is a special day.  From 1 to 4 pm:

• You can enjoy an old-time Ice Cream Social on the grounds.
• Unless it rains, there will be a display of classic cars.
•  A 40" Sony HDTV will be raffled off.  At 2 pm. the winning raffle ticket will be drawn. The winner does not need to be present to win.

(The television was donated by Becker-Ritter Funeral Home and Flanner's Home Entertainment.) 

• In addition, guided tours of the Inn will be given.
• A private collection of 1860s British Doll Houses is on display.

There's a minimal charge for the ice cream and no charge for the classic car show.  Raffle tickets are $10 each or $20 for three. Admission to the Inn with a guided tours is $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 children or $10 family. 

The Stagecoach Inn is at 1075 Pilgrim Parkway in Brookfield.  The site is on the west side between Bluemound and Gebhardt Roads.  Onsite parking is available.

Please call the Elmbrook Historical Society about raffle tickets (262 784 4057). 

Take a walk in parklike settings.

On Saturday, July 26, 2008, three garden clubs (Mayfair Park, Elm Grove and Elmbrook) are hosting "Tour Le Jardin."  Your family can enjoy six wonderful gardens in Brookfield, Elm Grove, Milwaukee and Menomonee Falls. Tours are offered from 10 am to 3 pm.

This is a wonderful chance to enjoy beautiful gardens and be inspired by others' creativity. You may take home an idea or two that would work for your home, porch or patio.

Tour Le Jardin's advanced tickets are $8 and can be purchased until July 25th.  Just call one of the following:

Mayfair Park Garden Club - Carole Hopp - (414) 771-7979

Elm Grove Garden Club - Mary Ricklefs - (414) 774-1582

Elmbrook Garden Club - Diane Olsen (414) 578-2513 

Tickets will also be available the day of the event for $10. You will need to present your ticket at each garden, so please remember to bring it with you. There will be something for everyone to see.

All proceeds go to scholarships for students studying horticulture and related fields or other community gardening projects.

Staying close to home this weekend?

If you like chess, there's an opportunity for you at the Dousman Stagecoach Inn on Sunday, July 20.  The Waukesha Chess Club is hosting a Chess Challenge for people of all ages -- and skills.  It's a free event from 1 to 4 pm. - and it will be held indoors.

If you like Model A's, enjoy them at the Dousman Stagecoach Inn on Sunday, July 20.  It's a free event from 1 to 4 pm.

If you enjoy history, take a guided tour of the 19th Century stagecoach inn.  You'll learn how early Brookfield residents lived, ate and slept over a century ago, about stagecoach travel, wood plank roads and overnights at local inns. Plus, there's an outstanding exhibit of 19th Century dollhouses in the ballroom.  Guided tours are given between 1 and 4 pm.  The tour of the inn is $4 adults, $1 children, $3 seniors and $10 families.

You can also see the smokehouse, ice house, shanty and the 1852 Donaldson house. As you enter the grounds, you'll see the prairie which once covered much of undeveloped Brookfield.

The Dousman Stagecoach Inn is at 1075 Pilgrim Parkway, Brookfield, between Bluemound and Gebhardt Roads. For more information, call the Elmbrook Historical Society at 262 782 4057 or visit www.ElmbrookHistoricalSociety.org.

Work began in early June to improve the safety of Bluemound Road.  The first segment of construction is between Moorland Road and Calhoun Road.  The DOT anticipated that each segment would take about a month to complete.  We are at week four, so the newly configured highway should soon be "open." 

Businesses east of Calhoun should breathe a sigh of relief within a week or so. The learning process will then begin.

In the meantime, we have all enjoyed the traffic calming to date and traffic tie-ups. Especially enjoyable are the motorists who block other intersections while waiting.

Also noticed (while sitting through three stop light cycles) is that more drivers are making u-turns at intersections with stop lights.  The "no u-turn" signs are no longer at the intersections, so evidently they are legal now.  

Also, be especially wary of work that has been completed.  For example, Calhoun Road, north of Bluemound, has already made changes to traffic patterns, but one exit from the strip mall does not have a "no left turn" sign - yet.

When the work is completed east of Calhoun, crews will begin working on the Calhoun to Brookfield Road improvements.

Andrew Smerz, fire chief, recently discussed the Town of Brookfield's fire department.  It provides emergency services for town residents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Five people are on duty at all times.  Three people serve on the fire engine and two firefighter paramedics provide emergency medical services.

The vast majority of calls (85%) are for Emergency Medical Services which range in scope from car accidents to cardiac or respiratory events.  Although the town's population is only slightly older than the city's, many calls are from the town's senior apartments, assisted living and long-term care facilities.

Other fire department responses are for alarms sounding, structure fires or mutual aid requests.  (In the first five months of 2008, the town had three structure fires.)  Local fire departments provide mutual aid - that is, provide manpower and equipment in large events.  Recent examples include the town's Silver Spur Restaurant fire and a fire in Genesee.  During the fire in Genesee, the town's firefighters staffed the Town of Waukesha's firehouse.

Smerz described his department as having a very good relationship with the city's fire department and that they work cooperatively together. The town and city, New Berlin, Pewaukee and City of Waukesha all provide mutual aid to one another when needed.

All 911 calls are handled by the Waukesha County Communications Dispatch center.  Although the town has only about 6,000 residents, the town's footprint spans from Greenfield Avenue to Lisbon.   These form eight geographic zones for dispatch purposes.  Smerz has been pleased with the central dispatch.

On June 12^th, the town took its water tower to Pleasant Hill School.  On Friday, the town's fire engines will be in the 4^th of July Parade at Marx Park. And, there will be an Open House on October 5 during Fire Prevention Week.  This hands-on event includes a tour of the fire department, the apparatus and equipment, and firefighters will show how they remove (extricate) someone from an automobile involved in a collision. What else? The Flight for Life helicopter will be landing at the town's fire department and provide tours of the helicopter.

Smerz recommends that a person who ‘feels something is physically wrong' should call 911.  "You are not inconveniencing anyone.  We are here - and ready - all the time."

You have a chance to visit some beautiful ones on Thursday, July 17.  The full-day tours are being sponsored by Master Gardeners of Southeast Wisconsin.  You can choose from one of six tours of gardens rarely accessible to the public.  

Choose from one:

Lake Country Inspiration

Visit estate gardens and learn from their designer.

High Ho, West of Town We Go

Enjoy eighteen theme gardens on a 20-acre estate and visit the gardens of noted botanists.

Surprises A'Waiting

Learn how mini-habitats can be created and how art can be integrated into the garden.

What's Your Pleasure...Large or Small?  Native or Non?  Shade or Sun Loving?

Visit gardens of contrasting sizes and plant choices.  

Old Fashioned Gardens, New Fashioned Plants

Savor the diversity that gardeners can create.

Architecture Plus Gardens

Visit the ‘Wingspread' estate designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and a three-acre woodland garden.

Space is limited.  Make your reservation by July 7, 2008.  All tours depart from the Wyndam Milwaukee Airport Conference Center at 7:30 am.  Tours are priced at $50 and include lunch and coach transportation.

Visit http://sewmg.encompus.com/ or call Norine at 414-281-4434 for more information.

The Department of Transportation began its improvements to traffic flow on Bluemound Road in early June.  The work will be done in three one-mile segments and each segment will take about a month to complete.

The first phase is between Moorland and Calhoun Roads.  Over the summer, work will progress westward (in one-mile increments) to Barker Road.

Since early June, the following work has been accomplished between Moorland and Calhoun Roads.  Temporary utility poles were installed and stop lights strung across the intersections. Orange barrels have been distributed along the roadway.  Barricades have been erected at many medians. The white diagonal lines that designated bus and right turns have been painted over.  Drivers may now drive in the right lane.  That is good, because drivers can no longer use the left lane.

As we enter week two:  Concrete medians are being removed.  Any trees and/or shrubs in the medians are being bulldozed.  Alas, I believe the trees and shrubs being sacrificed were once part of "streetscaping"  partially funded by taxpayers. Perhaps a reader can clarify.

Because there is construction on Calhoun Road and on Bluemound Road delays are compounded.  The difficulty entering/exiting V Richards Plaza is no doubt adversely impacting the businesses located there.

Perhaps the construction is really part of traffic calming for the 70,000 cars that travel east/west along Bluemound Road each day. 

Min Kanavas was known to many in the Brookfield and Elm Grove areas.  Min and her husband made Brookfield their home in the 1950s – about the time it became a city.  Her four boys grew up there.  One became (and is) a state Senator.

Min was devoted to her family and the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.  She tremendously enjoyed contributing her time and skills to many activities.  She had boundless energy and was an enthusiastic volunteer for the Elmbrook Historical Society.  If you don’t remember Min for her community activities, you may have known her as the floral designer at Reinder’s (Elm Grove).

The Dousman Stagecoach Inn and the Elmbrook Historical Society will host the unveiling of a painting by area artist Scott Hefti, who works with Brookfield-based North Shore Bank to create one-of-a-kind watercolors depicting the communities in which it operates.

Hefti's colorful Brookfield painting features the historic inn along with its neighbor, North Shore Bank's corporate headquarters. The bank is donating the artwork to the Historical Society to celebrate the bank's 85th birthday and a unique bit of shared history.  For 138 years, the inn stood at what is now the intersection of Bluemound and Moorland roads.

When North Shore Bank's new headquarters was built on that site in 1981, the Elmbrook Historical Society moved the inn a little way up the road.  Hefti's painting, with the historic and modern buildings and the preserved green space that lies between them, celebrates the past and present of the Brookfield community.

Hefti, along with representatives of the bank and the Historical Society, will unveil the donated painting during a special reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11, at the inn, 1075 N. Pilgrim Parkway.  Guided tours are offered at 5:45 and 6:15 pm.

The public is welcome to attend and talk with the artist and Historical Society representatives about this new piece of art celebrating two Brookfield institutions.  Reserve your spot now - just contact Brenna Kriviskey Sadler at (414) 276-6237.

The Elmbrook Historical Society also hosts public guided tours at the Stagecoach Inn on the first and third Sundays from 1 to 4 pm. from May through October.  In celebration of Father's Day, June 15, admission is free for all fathers.

Now that I have your attention, consider this cause for paws.  The Elmbrook Humane Society is located in Brookfield just west of Barker Road on Enterprise Drive.

It's a stopping point for many displaced cats and dogs, and other creatures.  The staff and many volunteers give these pets tender, loving care.   The humane society is very successful at finding new homes for these animals.  Its adoption rate is 98%.

Many people and businesses provide financial support for the shelter.  Some youngsters learn about giving early in life. Scouts have collected items that dogs and cats need. Preteens have asked that contributions be given to the Elmbrook Humane Society instead of toward birthday gifts.

Support arrives through animal adoptions, donations and in-kind contributions of care-giving supplies.  Canned pet food, KMR kitten milk replacement, and paper products are always needed.  Check the current wish-list at http://www.ebhs.org/.

There are other ways to support our local humane society's mission:

1. Shop at (or donate items to) Well-Bred Bargains resale shop in Elm Grove.
2. Buy a ‘Waggin' Wheels Car Raffle ticket' for $20.
3. Attend the 2008 "Wag Fest" on Saturday, September 20.
4. Volunteer at the society.
5. Consider sponsoring the event. 

Many families mark Memorial Day with picnics, parades and planting flowers.  Memorial Day provides a four day weekend, and a time to reflect on our family's traditions.

When I was a child, it was tradition to cut lilacs and visit the cemeteries in Brookfield.  At that time Brookfield seemed so far away. We visited the grave sites of my grandparents at Wisconsin Memorial, and the grave sites of my great-grandparents at Oak Hill Cemetery.  The small Oak Hill Cemetery was not well tended.  Poison Ivy was prevalent.  We would scrub ourselves with homemade lye soap when we got home.

When I visited Oak Hill Cemetery last year for its Memorial Day Service, I learned that the grounds had been maintained through the kindness of neighbors.  The annual Memorial Day Service (conducted by the Behling-Kutchera American Legion Post 296) takes place Monday, May 26 at 10 a.m.

Take time to visit this historic cemetery at 3500 N. Brookfield Rd and reflect on your family's history.

The story of “Ten Chimneys & The Lunts” will be told by Mike Drew, award winning writer and former media columnist, on Monday, May 19, 2008.

Wonderful tours of the beautiful estate are given at Ten Chimneys from May through November. 

A GPS system has greatly improved my odds of getting to the right place.  It is helpful when traveling beyond one's ‘comfort zone.’  For example, getting from point A to point B in Waukesha has always been a challenge.  For years, my subconscious voice has said, “You’re going to get lost” – and I invariably have.

A recent trip to Waukesha was more pleasant – thanks to the GPS.  But its directions to WalMart led me to Sam’s Club (on 164). 

Recent trips to Franklin, Hales Corners, Milwaukee’s lake front and Menomonee Falls have been more interesting because of the GPS.  I have found myself traveling on roads less traveled. I was amazed to find a more efficient route to Hales Corners, and a more scenic route to Milwaukee’s lake front.

There was comparatively little development in Brookfield west of Highland Drive.  Local grocery stores included Grasch Foods, Food Farm (in Elm Grove and at Ruby Isle).  Neither Elmbrook Memorial nor Brookfield Square had been built.

Brookfield has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Bluemound Road exploded with business, complete with sidewalks and street lights.   In recent years, homes have become bigger and lots have become smaller. The “Brookfield Concept” described on the city’s website seems to emphasize open, green space.  Check it out at http://www.cityofbrookfield.com/index.asp?nid=66.  It doesn’t seem to correlate with today’s development.

As you speed down Bluemound Road, you may notice a large white barn and small two story home on a patch of green.  You'll find this gem on the north side of the road just east of Janacek Road (about 192^nd Street).  If you are more familiar with Best Buy and Menards, Eble Park is just across the street.

This 40 acre patch of green is courtesy of Florence Eble.  At one time, her family farm extended across Bluemound Road, and a barn was on the south side of the road.  Eble donated her forty acres to Waukesha County as a permanent green space.

Florence's Garden provides a welcome respite for drivers speeding past. Passers-by are enthralled by the flower, herb and vegetable gardens at Eble Park.  Some are stopped in their tracks by the season-long beauty in Florence's Garden.  Produce harvested from the vegetable garden is donated to a Waukesha County food bank.

The gardens are cared for by a dedicated group of Master Gardener Volunteers.  In case you haven't heard of "Master Gardeners," each person takes (and pays for) horticultural training by UW-Extension Agents.  In return, they collectively dedicate thousands of hours to gardens in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties each year.

This Saturday, you may see dozens of master gardeners working at Eble.  If weather permits, they will be taking perennial plants from the vegetable garden and potting them.  The plants were donated by master gardeners last fall and grew in the unused garden until now.  In the next few weeks, similar "digs" are scheduled at many, many homes. Thousands of perennials will be sold on May 17, 2008 at State Fair Park DNR area as part of the 13^th Annual Perennial Plant Sale.

Master gardeners volunteer at the Milwaukee County Zoo, State Fair Park, Havenwoods State Park (Milwaukee County) and also at Eble Gardens, Old World Wisconsin and Ten Chimneys (Waukesha County).  They also tend gardens at many other locations and care facilities throughout the metropolitan area.

Brookfield has a few hidden delights right in its own backyard.  One is the "Nature Center" just west of Brookfield East High School's soccer field.  The Nature Center includes 17 acres of land and two ponds.  The school district maintains trails around the ponds, through the mesic prairie, open dry prairie and woodlands with a wooden bridge across a marsh. Volunteers from the Elmbrook Garden Club have planted and maintained plantings of native plants around the visitor center/classroom for over twenty years.

Why would a local garden club get involved in this project?  Well, the 35-member group supports community service projects and outreach programs for youth. As an affiliate of the National Garden Clubs, Inc., it aids in the protection and conservation of natural resources, promotes civic beautification and encourages the improvement of roadsides and parks.  Then again it may be the children's delight when they visit.

A visit to the Nature Center is part of the field trip curriculum for all Kindergarten through 6^th grade classes.  Activities are led by a naturalist/Brookfield East High School Biology Teacher, Greg Wolfe.  Children and the parents who accompany them thoroughly enjoy their visits.  The students study trees; insects; bones, skulls and skeletons; birds, seeds and pods, the pond community, and satellites in the environment.

Brookfield Park & Recreation also holds its fishing classes at the Nature Center's ponds.  High school classes and Scout troops use the center as an outdoor classroom as well.                                              

After nurturing native plants for so many years, garden club members were dismayed when school district construction damaged a prairie planting - not once, but twice.  The first time, the district installed a water line to the visitor center; the second time was during the construction of a concession stand near the soccer fields.  The work was done without any warning to rescue the plants.

In the fall of 2007, the Elmbrook School District provided $900 for the purchase of native plants to restore the damaged plantings.  The Elmbrook Garden Club also applied for and received a $300 grant from the Principal Financial Group Civic Development Grant Program, "Lets Go Native."  This grant money is to be matched by the garden club and other community contributions.  The $600 will be used to purchase additional plants, labels and for split rail fencing to protect the plants.  It is the only garden club in Wisconsin that received a grant.

The National Garden Clubs, Inc. (NGC) established the grant program under the sponsorship of the Principal Financial Group Foundation Inc. to boost civic development across the nation by planting natives.  NGC is a not-for profit organization composed of 50 State Garden Clubs and the National Capital Area, 7,183 member garden clubs and 221,943 members as well as International Affiliates from Canada to Mexico and South America.

The goal of this project is to restore the plantings around the visitor center, to increase the diversity of plants at the nature center and to educate visitors -- young and old.  For more information about joining the Elmbrook Garden Club, touring and/or working in the nature center contact Judy Newman, newman9641@aol.com Community Coordinator.