Village Spillage

Happy Blogversary to Village Spillage.

One year ago, June 25, 2007 .. I volunteered to write this blog for WhitefishBayNOW: Village Spillage.

Here are a few stats:

• 81 articles
• 211,000 article views (reported by NOW .. probably inflated.  I'd be happy with half that.)
• 16 articles on the April Election
• 27 on Silver Spring
• 1 Pilot Episode (If you haven't been with me from the start, that's where to begin!)
  

It's been a long year in Whitefish Bay. 

We've closed Armin Koch, Murray's Wine & Spirits, Mike Crivello's, Hecker's Shoes, and now the retail part of Just Kidding.  We gained one restaurant (yet to open), and gained, then lost Sal's Pizza.

We had many interesting debates about the future of Silver Spring including whether an Aurora Health Clinic brings the Drive any closer to a vibrant business district.  

We've lost incumbents on the Village Board, and replaced them with two fresh voices. 

Oh, and my family increased by one.

The news I've written about came from many sources, from Villagers sending tips, to the sparse traditional media coverage we receive.  Generally speaking, that's what keeps me going, as I hope to fill the media void and perform a public service with this blog and the attention it receives.

I'd better end with some quick birthday wishes for the next year:

1. Silver Spring fills all the vacant properties with tenants that bring a new vibrancy to WFB
2. WFB completes the street-scaping plan for Silver Spring
   
3. Night Parking Tickets are abolished
4. Contested races for Village Trustee in April 2009
5. Whitefish Bay brings back Trick or Treating on the day the rest of the country does it: October 31st.

We've lived in Whitefish Bay 10 years and it finally happened. 

We woke up one morning and my wife said .. "Oh, crap.  We left the car in the street over-night."  

Maybe we won't have a ticket, I foolishly thought.  Maybe they saw our car and thought, hey, I know that car.  I'll bet they just forgot to pull their car into their driveway.  No need to penalize them.

Not a chance .. there, in blaze orange was our $15 night-parking ticket.

Man, I hate that law.  How does $7,000 in yearly property taxes not give you the right to park in front of your house?  

Yes, yes, I know you can get permission, 15 times per year, to park in front of your own residence.  Well, we forgot the car was out there.  We don't have a garage, which means we have to jocky our two cars in and out occasionally, sometimes parking in the street for one spouse to pull in first.

I can't say I understand the premise of the 3am-5am parking restriction.  To prevent crime?  Not sure I believe that.  The car parked next to my house is far more hidden than one on the street.   To control the number of cars each household can own?  That doesn't make much sense, as if you have a long driveway, you could easily park a half-dozen cars on your drive.   Maybe it's so the street sweepers can do a good job.  Of course, they don't roll at 3am-5am, so that's no good.

Seriously, if anyone knows the theory behind this law, I'd love to hear it.

In the meantime, how about "retro-active" permission instead of writing tickets?

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WFB has a new resident as of 1:30 this morning.  My son.  Owen Patrick, 8 pounds, 8oz.  10 fingers, 10 toes, healthy.

Mom and big brother are resting comfortably.

I don't recall the height .. why do people even care about the height of a newborn?  To rush out and buy them a new suit?  Just get the smallest one on the rack.  That'll do.

Funny .. all week long, my wife was worried she'd give birth on Friday the 13th.   Nope.  90 minutes later.

Happy Fathers Day!

Hecker's

Just got word that Hecker's Shoes,  on Silver Spring since 1957, is closing.  My neighbor visited the shop and confirmed it, that they would stay open as their inventory depletes.  

Ouch.

Looks like their website was abandoned a long time ago, but I was able to dig into the archives:

For four generations Hecker's Shoes has been a destination for families who care about quality footwear.  Abe and Ann Hecker opened the store in 1957 focusing on men, women, and children's shoes, relying on the motto "proper fit and service makes all the difference".  Hecker's Shoes has evolved into a children's shoes store based on the traditions and philosophies of the late Abe Hecker.

Now owned and operated by Marcia Hecker, Abe and Ann's daughter, the store specializes in children's footwear but carries a small selection of women’s shoes.  The store stocks infant through *** shoes in narrow, medium, and wide widths, this is what sets them apart from other stores.  According to Marcia Hecker shoes need to be fit properly to prevent irritation and discomfort.  It is particularly important for young walkers to have the correct support while learning how to walk. 

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Sorry, I've been recently lazy with my blogging efforts. 

You get what you pay for.

The Village put out a "Request For Proposal" a few weeks ago .. I tried to find it on the WFB website, but it's either buried, or simply not published (which is odd), so I post it here for all to enjoy.  The deadline is in 3 short weeks.  It will be very interesting to see the substance and volume of proposals for WFB's business district.

More details, including some thoughts on hiring a Business Development "professional" (which is a great idea) can be found in this article from a couple weeks ago.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

FOR RETAIL RECRUITING & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

The Village of Whitefish Bay, WI is seeking proposals for services associated with active retail business recruiting and development on behalf of the municipality.

Attached is a map showing the commercial business areas in the Village, which are the target areas. The primary goals are set forth in the Master Plan for the Silver Spring Business District which can be found on the Village’s website at www.wfbvillage.org under Boards & Commissions / Community Development Authority.

Silver Spring Drive is the active commercial core in a highly desirable North Shore Milwaukee suburb. It has numerous retail and service-oriented businesses, including a Sendik’s market, a multi-screen movie theater and Winkie’s, a local landmark. The main business district is also located just east of the newly renovated and expanded regional Bay Shore Towne Center. Building on these strengths and attracting complimentary retail stores, including when vacancies occur, presents a unique opportunity on which the Village seeks to capitalize.

Interested parties should respond with the following information:

-          Description of the retail recruitment and development activities that will be undertaken. Note the emphasis of this RFP is active retail recruiting and development, and not further studies, although some preparation is expected.

-          Resumes of the person or persons that will be directly involved in providing the retail recruitment and development activities identified, and their roles.

-          Estimated number of hours involved by each person for each activity. It is recognized some efforts may be concentrated, some may be ongoing, and some may be sporadic.

-          Proposed rates of compensation and estimated costs.

-          References.

Responses should be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on June 30, 2008 to:

James R. Grassman, Village Manager

Village of Whitefish Bay

Whitefish Bay, WI 53217

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