2008 Wishlist

Instead of a list of 2008 predictions I am making a 2008 wishlist. Here is what I hope 2008 brings.

That the Black Trumpet opens to rave reviews by customers and the press (assuming the Journal ever hires Getto’s replacement) making it the “go to” restaurant in Waukesha. They say that successful restaurants breed more restaurants, so lets hope this happens.

That some of the projects we are hearing about downtown actually come to fruition including the new restaurant and bar in the Diamante Azul building and the Taylor’s bar/lounge project.

That the new Jazz in Cutler Park concert series becomes very popular, they figure out a way to allow for carry-in alcohol like Milwaukee’s concerts allow, and that the popularity leads to local vendors setting up tents to sell food and drink.

That the Historical Society actually makes some noticeable progress on the Les Paul exhibit.

That the City becomes more aggressive in redevelopment downtown. I would like to see them become more of a partner in redevelopment than an approval body/blank checkbook.

That the grocery store space at the Flemming property redevelopment is a Sendik’s, Trader Joes, or something not named Pick n’ Save, Aldi, or Sentry. I’d even welcome a Piggly Wiggly.

That we have a democrat elected to the Presidency in November…and that the democrat is not named Hillary Clinton. If we do have to have a Republican, I hope its Rudy.

That another high quality, exciting downtown development on par with the Black Trumpet and Clarke Hotel project is announced.

That the new Neighbor’s Social Club is a hit, same with Bodway’s.

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Ok, I will make one prediction.  We will begin 2009 as a smoke-free state.  Illinois and Minnesota have gone smoke free and it seems inevitable that Wisconsin will follow.  I have mixed opinions on smoking bans.  I hate second hand smoke and reeking whenever I go out to bars so I would definitely enjoy a smoke free Wisconsin, however I think that businesses should be able to decide whether to allow it or not.

Catching up.

I was out of town so I haven’t posted in a while but I came home to a lot of interesting stuff.

 

As many people expected, the developers of the dorm building are asking for TIF money. I think that TIF for a dormitory is not good public policy and in many cases TIF for any residential isn’t a good idea, unless it is part of a mixed use development or as part of a brownfields cleanup. My issue is that this is not owner occupied housing. Its not even year round rentals. This is not creating an influx of people near downtown that can support business, beyond the typical college student support of bars and restaurants. This property will probably not increase in value the way a condo or even apartment building would. The only thing keeping me from completely opposing this is that the property is an eyesore and as Steve Crandall (Acting City Administrator and Director of Community Development) pointed out, the project will improve the appearance of a major gateway into the downtown.

If the City decides to do a TIF they need to make sure it is a developer funded “pay as you go” TIF. That way the taxpayers are not on the hook for the borrowed money if the TIF doesn’t pay off. I also would make sure the deal is structured in a matter that requires the property remain in private ownership. I would hate to see the developers sell it to Carroll and then it is off the tax rolls and the City is stuck with a TIF that cannot pay off. Maybe the City should look at a tif/redevelopment plan for that whole area from Williams south to College between Grand and Maple instead of just a small TIF for a dorm. That way any re-investment in that area will help pay off the TIF. Lets be honest here, there isn’t squat worth saving in that area with the exception of La Estacion and the renovated Fox Head building.

I cannot help but wonder if they would have gotten the rezoning and building plan approvals if they had requested the TIF assistance up front.

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Vicky Hekkers has an excellent guest column that explains what the BID does. I think a lot of people have no clue what they do, how they are financed, and what they have done to help Downtown.

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Speaking of the BID, they are wondering if the influx of a national chain might help downtown. I think a national chain would help. Unfortunately some of the national chains that would help could end up hurting existing business. A Borders or Barnes and Noble would be a great draw, but may end up putting Martha Merril’s out of business which would not be good. A Starbucks may do the same to the coffee shops downtown though I think the Steaming Cup has become a neighborhood hangout and people wouldn’t give that up for a Starbucks. Plus the coffee and food at the Steaming Cup is better. I think something like a Buffalo Wild Wings, Champps, Chancery or some other bar and grill that caters to people of all ages (including families) would be great and really wouldn’t compete with the downtown bars and restaurants because they are offering a different product than is available downtown now.

I think the downtown will see more people come if the Black Trumpet is as good as Andrew Ruggeri’s other restaurants were. I also think that Drew Valozzi’s new Neighbors Social Club will attract a nice clientèle to downtown that may not have been down there before. It is likely to become the “go to” place before or after a show at the Civic Theater. The same goes for Taylor’s if it ever happens. The new bar and restaurant slated for the old Diamante building should also bring people in from around the City. What the BID and the City should concentrate on is capturing the Waukesha market. Make it so when people say “I want to go out to a nice dinner near home” they don’t automatically think of going to Brookfield or Delafield (which is exactly what I do). Make it so there are things downtown for kids and families as well as young adults, empty nesters, and anyone else. The key to a thriving downtown is not going to be the casual visitor from Milwaukee or Oconomowoc, its going to be getting Waukesha residents to embrace and support downtown.

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In Soundoff today people are still bitching about the “Standing Ovation” sculpture downtown. I think it is healthy to debate public art. Not everyone will like it. As I have stated before, I really like it and actually wish it had a more prominent location downtown. I also think maybe Waukesha could do what Milwaukee did with all of those beasties a few years back except with guitars. Local artists are given a similar blank ceramic guitar design and they are free to paint, sculpt, embellish or alter the guitar however they want. They can then display them throughout downtown and the riverwalk all summer and then auction them off at the fall art crawl…and maybe donate all of the auction proceeds to the Les Paul exhibit.

In the Soundoff on Friday someone was complaining about the compensation package for the new City Administrator. They also complained about moving expenses. The salary she will receive is the going rate for a City Administrator for a City our size and including moving expenses for someone at that level is also not uncommon. The City Administrator is probably the most demanding job in government and requires a broad range of skills including budgeting, economic development, redevelopment, intergovernmental cooperation, management, finance, taxation, public works, labor negotiations, and learning to navigate the politics of the City (plus they must be familiar with every single department in the city and what their functions are). A comparable job in the private sector would pay a lot more.

 

Holiday tree and other stuff

The annual hand wringing and crying about the State of Wisconsin Holiday Tree is heating up.  Soon conservative talk show hosts will pick up on the story to fill up their allotted time slots.   Its like sports radio discussing Pete Rose.  When there is nothing else to talk about, bring up Pete Rose to fill the time.  The phones will ring off the hook with people arguing for and against Rose bring in the Hall of Fame.  Same goes for the Holiday Tree except that we all know that the conservative talk show hosts screen their calls to skew all arguments in their favor.   

I think both sides of this Christmas vs Holiday tree are wrong.  First, The Freedom From Religion Foundation has turned into a group like PETA where their views and demands are so extreme it turns off reasonable people who may be sympathetic to their plight.  I can agree with them that religion should not play a prominent role in government policy, especially when decisions reflect a particular religion.  I am offended when Catholic leaders threaten excommunication of Catholic lawmakers don’t do what they say.  Elected officials represent people of all religions not just the Catholic Church.  However, I just cannot see how they get so worked up over something so benign as a Christmas tree.  

With that being said, I think the people on the other side are just throwing a fit because they always throw a fit when a religious, racial, or ethnic minority gets offended at something.  I can see their rationale; we all know that a coniferous tree with lights and ornaments is a Christmas Tree, not a Holiday Tree.    But since everyone knows its a Christmas tree just call it a Christmas tree to yourself and let the State keep the official name as the “Holiday Tree.”   There is nothing that says you cannot bring your kids to the Capitol and say “look at that nice Christmas tree.”  There is nothing that says the tree in your home has to be a holiday tree. There is nothing that would prohibit these lawmakers from putting a tree in their office and calling it their Christmas Tree.  There are a lot of people in the state that do not celebrate Christmas and to get all worked up over the official name of one tree is asinine.   

This truly is a case of two groups of people whose primary reason for being so offended is to get their name in the paper.

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Another Art Crawl this weekend.  Some highlights include a sneak peak at the Black Trumpet Restaurant and Boadway’s Live Music Grill.  Of course there will be a lot of art too.   Head on down to pick up some Holiday Christmas Gifts.

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Even though he likes the Cowboys, I agree with Wigderson’s column today.  

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Ten people applied for the job as head of the Waukesha County Historical Society.  If the Les Paul fund-raising goal is not met within 2-3 years I have a feeling that it will never happen. At some point Les Paul is going to get pissed off and give his stuff to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and to be honest, I wouldn’t blame him.  Maybe they should rethink how they are doing the exhibit.  Make it nice, but less expensive.  You have a million dollars.  You can do a lot with that.  Use volunteers to build display cabinets and stuff.  Then when the museum starts to attract visitors, slowly upgrade the exhibit piece by piece. It’s not the best scenerio, but if fundraising doesn’t improve it may be necessary. 

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Another Sendik’s is opening and the owners are looking to add more. I think Waukesha has the population to support one and I think that their prices are competitive with Pick n’ Save.   However the quality of food and service is heads and shoulders above Pick n’ Save.  I know of a great site on Sunset that is all ready for them to move right in. 

 

Museum Director Resigns

 

The Waukesha Museum & Historical Society executive director Sue Baker has resigned.  I don’t know much about her or the museum but I do know that people were starting to get frustrated with the slow pace of the Les Paul Exhibit that appears no closer to being opened than it did in when it was announced in 2003.  The exhibit was supposed to be open this year and now its slated for 2010, which I would bet will be extended even further. I am beginning to wonder whether Paul will even be alive to see this exhibit open.   Last year Paul expressed frustration with the snails pace at which this is progressing but I give him credit, he could have easily taken all of his stuff and given it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but he remains committed to the exhibit at the Waukesha County Museum.

I do think that the fundraising, with the exception of the concert a few months back, has been very low profile. In fact it is so low profile that most people probably have no clue that it is going on.   I think that more fundraising events would raise the profile and would attract more donations. 

I think they also need to diversify their efforts and really take the fundraising nationwide.  So many musicians have been influenced by Les Paul and I think there is a untapped potential for a lot of donations.   When you have people like Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Steve Miller, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Sting, Peter Frampton, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, and countless others as Les Paul disciples you would think it would be a lot easier to raise money. 

I also read on the Historical Society’s website that they are also raising funds for the restoration of the old courtroom.  While that is nice, I think that they should focus most of their energy on the Les Paul exhibit.  How many people want to come and see an old restored courtroom? That’s about as exciting as a field trip to see the famous “Hall of Mayors” at City Hall. A Les Paul exhibit is something that will attract people. Granted I don’t think that it will attract people to town for the sole purpose of visiting this exhibit, but it will be something that music fans will visit if they are in the area for other reasons.   It is also something that will get locals to visit the museum, something I don’t think they do now. Get the Paul exhibit open and you will likely see an increase in revenue which could then be used for exhibits like the courtroom exhibition.