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By Bryan Maersch
Tuesday, Sep 30 2008, 07:00 AM
The stock market took it's biggest hit yesterday with almost a 800 point drop with no good news in the immediate future. With the economy is on a major downswing so I have to ask - The Franklin Cultural Arts Center - Will it happen in our lifetime? Since roughly 2003 there has been talk of a Franklin Cultural Arts Center which includes the following from their informative website:
“Funded entirely through private donations and grants, the Franklin Cultural Arts Center will include a 1,000 seat performance theater, a gallery and numerous classroom and meeting spaces. Designed to host larger scale performances than any other suburban theater in Southeastern Wisconsin, the Cultural Arts Center will offer professional performances ranging from musicals and theatrical productions to comedy and dance shows.”
The Cultural Arts Center boards and committee members reads like a who’s who of City of Franklin. The list includes former and current city government personalities, movers and shakers. Unfortunately we have hit a time where the economy is teetering on the edge. We are demanding that the Franklin City government and School System keep increased spending to a maximum of a 3% increase. Restaurants are failing and entertainment dollars are being spent to pay for ever rising gas, food and living increases.
To date the only announced major contributors similar to Terry and Mary Briscoe, the Franklin couple who donated 1 million dollars to the building of the future Franklin YMCA, are local residents Michael and Eileen Schmalz who have pledged $100,000. That would put the Schmaltz's at a Playwright level not enough for naming rights at the FCAC's Patron (above 3 million donation) or Producer level (1.5 million to 3 million) and a far cry from the 20 million dollars needed to build the center.
The major upcoming events that the FCACDate Event has on their website are:
| Date |
Event |
| October 17, 2008 |
Comedysportz |
| November 15, 2008 |
Divas and Divine Desserts |
| December, 2008 |
Jingle Bell Jazz |
| March 14, 2009 |
Flanagan's Wake |
| May, 2009 |
Murder Mystery Dinner and Art Auction |
After looking at the FCAC 2007 annual report , it looks to me, that they are just breaking even. After all the FCAC’s efforts to date, have been aimed at building friends not funds, and they are just beginning their efforts to raise start-up funds before initiating a capital campaign.
As it stands, the FCAC folks are currently projecting a opening date of Spring 2011, as they state, "with the support of their key stake holders."
For FCAC boards sake I hope the economy turns around soon because I really don't think taxpayers are ready to issue a blank check for the project. Maybe we should cut them a break on the fee waivers, as it looks like they will need any break they can get and I am not "Wagging the Dog".
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By Bryan Maersch
Saturday, Sep 6 2008, 08:59 AM
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had this article about the Fox’s. That would be Leonard and Verna Fox who for the past 37 years have made a living at Castle Concrete Products and while later adding Franklin Storage (part of the zoning problem) on the land that surrounds their W. Rawson Ave. home.
The questions you have to ask yourself are:
Because the Fox’s are long time residents, are hard working elderly people, whose health is failing over the pursuit of the violations that are listed in a citation against the Fox’s business. Should we then overlook those Zoning Ordinance violations and force the Fountains of Franklin developers to just work around the Fox’s Company and leave the Fox's alone?
Does the city, community and developers of FOF, believe this is killing two elderly people?
What does the Franklin community want? Enforcement of zoning laws or exceptions for long time citizens?
Out with the old and in with the new?
Do you believe David Hintzman - President Equitable Development, LLC when he says:
The last time we talked to our neighbors, they told us to send over a "multi-multimillionaire" if we found one. Considering one has contacted us, we forwarded the Fox’s contact information to them pursuant to the Fox’s request. It is our understanding that they have been offered almost $3,000,000 for a property that's worth much less than $2,000,000. Since it has been brought to my attention that the Foxes bought their property for $1.00 (one dollar), it appears they are “at the right place at the right time.”
You decide my fellow Franklinites.
Call, write, email your city officials and let them know!
Or else send the Fox's to these people:
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By Bryan Maersch
Thursday, Aug 14 2008, 06:00 AM
I was on vacation in relaxing Door County on Wednesday, when the news hit FranklinNOW readers; Development leader resigns key city posts. Apparently Ted Grintjes is seeking to avoid future conflict-of-interest entanglements, so he resigned from the 27th Street steering committee, as well as positions he held on the Franklin Economic Development Commission and Community Development Authority .
FranklinNOW blogger Kevin Fischer said of Grintjes in his posting Ted Grintjes is leaving.....now what? Who can admirably replace him? I honestly don’t know.
Well Franklin has many eager, competent people and as the city of Franklin has done before Grintjes got involved with these high profile, high powered, Franklin Commissions. The city will find some other qualified person and move on.
I also believe Kevin Fischer once said of Greg Kowalski, former Environmental commissioner: I would venture to guess most people in Franklin have no idea there is an EC. Most of those that are aware of the EC probably don’t know who the members are. Giving un-elected, unaccountable volunteers greater authority would be a mistake.
Ted Grintjes is-non elected citizen who was making multi-million dollar decisions for the City of Franklin on three powerful commissions and is now just realizing a threat that he may have a “conflict of interest” due to his wifes real estate business.
Kevin I agree with you!
Especially in the case of the commissions that Ted was appointed. To giving this kind of power to spend the money that is passing through the commissions that Ted was on should not be in the hands of non-elected, unaccountable volunteers like Ted Grintjes and Jim Rhiner. Especially multiple high profile and powerful commission that the two of these men are/were members of.
This is why I would like to see the Mayor move to install himself or one of the aldermen to replace, (Yes Ted is replaceable) with a new member which would better represent the city in decisions made on an important commission such as the 27th Street Corridor.
As Sprawled Out blogger John Michlig states in his blog about the subject "It's time for new blood".
Ted, thanks for all the time you dedicated to the city of Franklin, but I think your decision was correct given those possible conflicts of interest.
DATELINE: AUGUST 14, 2008
Steve Olson voted to replace Ted Gringes on 27th Street Committee. Read all the details in Janet Evans posting - Franklin Economic Development Commission Meeting 8/13/08
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By Bryan Maersch
Wednesday, May 7 2008, 04:23 PM
I was sitting next to Fred Keller at the City Council meeting on Tuesday night. My mouth dropped and I was stunned when Ted Grintjes the Chairman of the 27th Street Steering Committee let loose with both cannons in a public tirade against local blogger Fred Keller. You can read the blow by blow description in Greg Kowalski’s on site blog entitled Grintjes v Keller - Boomgaard got heated in Council chambers.
As I said, Grintjes is a citizen appointed member of both the 27th Street Steering Committee and the powerful Community Development Authority which is authorized to transact business and exercise any and all powers, duties, and functions set out in Sections 66.40 and 66.431 of the Wisconsin Statutes for housing and redevelopment authorities. Ted often spends 40 hour plus of his personal hours ,working on these two City committee / commission according to people tha t know him.
The berating of a Franklin Citizen who disagrees with Ted and his committee members leads me to believe that Ted does not realize that this was just outright bad PR for the 27th street project. One can only assume it was his many hours of time he spends on these committee / commissions that set Ted off.
Fred Keller had no intention of standing up to defend his opinion and information he presented asresearch he discovered about the Boomgaard District’s redlight reputation in Amsterdam. But how could he not respond to Ted’s intentional verbal attack on this private Franklin citizen?
Ted Grintjes has done something that is destructive to his committee; he has brought further bad public relations to a public relations fiasco brought about by the naming of the Boomgaard District via the Zizzo group who handeled the annoucement badly.
Ted – You needed to turn this around to become positive public opinion but now have instead blown up this public relations disaster even further.
Had this outburst not happened, I truley believe this issue would have died out sooner than later. However, I believe the personal attack of Fred has encouraged him to pursue his research even further.
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By Bryan Maersch
Wednesday, Apr 9 2008, 07:00 AM
Thank you Terry and Mary Briscoe a million times over.
The Franklin insurance executive of National Insurance Co. and his wife have given $1 million to the YMCA proposed for Franklin, claiming the naming rights to the new complex located just north of the Northwestern Mutual Networks Franklin campus.
As you may remember, Northwestern donated the 4.3 million dollar, 18 acre, piece of land the complex will be built on.
With these donations plus 1.4 to 2 million in additional fund raising, the YMCA is looking to open its doors in Franklin in the spring of 2009.
The 45,000-square-foot Franklin center being marketed as a "Healthy Lifestyle Village," in collaboration with Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare is expected to include an indoor track, multi-lane swimming pool, group exercise studios and a child care center. A medical clinic and physician’s offices will be built by the Wheaton’s adjacent to the YMCA.
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By Bryan Maersch
Wednesday, Mar 19 2008, 07:00 AM
I might be a little late on this one but, during my Sabatical in the month of January I missed this little tidbit in the news.
Could our local FranklinNOW food critic be luring Cameron's Steakhouse to Franklin some time in the future? Has he been having private conversations with Cameron Mitchell too? After all Cameron Mitchell operates Mitchell’s Fish Market at Brookfield Square Mall.
Or given all the hype of "upscale dining" at the affluent Bayshore Town Center, would the push for "upscale dining" here in Franklin tank also? If Cameron's could not make a go of it on the affluent North side what chances does Franklin have, for anything other than a Golden Corral.
Cameron's closing at Bayshore Town Center By Doris Hajewski of the JSMonday, Jan 28 2008, 02:34 PM
Cameron’s Steakhouse at Bayshore Town Center has closed, after just 14 months in business. The upscale restaurant, operated by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants of Columbus, Oh., is the first new tenant in the expanded town center to close.
Read rest here
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By Bryan Maersch
Tuesday, Mar 4 2008, 04:35 PM
In case it has escaped you, a new retail expansion development due to open this spring has been going up on the south side of the Lowes Home Center. This development has a town center flavor and has a southern exposure to Rawson Avenue. Unlike most of the retail developments that we have seen on 27th street, you notice that there is four sided architecture with multi-architectural elements not seen on most so called strip malls. The available square footage of the Lowes Development is approximately 11 to 14 thousand square feet of retail space.
Lowes Development last Fall
Currently it looks like the only tenant for this development is the Topper’s restaurant franchise with a pizza type fare. Based out of Madison, they serve pizzas, sandwiches, quesadillas and buffalo wings.
With the recent criticism of Paul Bouraxis's Golden Corral Restaurant development, not much has been said by local development bloggers on this recent 27th Street corridor development.
As this corner will most likely be a busy gateway to the 27th street corridor with a round-about proposed for the corner of 27th and Rawson. I think this is a well though out addition to the corridor with a quality set of design plans and I am not Wagging the Dog.
Lowes Development opening Spring of 2008
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