Burlington Wisconsin City Administrator’s Weblog

The City Council meeting was relatively quiet on Tuesday. The only major issue was the election of Peter Hintz as the District 2 alderman to fill Mayor Bob Miller’s vacated seat. Mr. Hintz was elected over Peter Girolamo in a 5-2 vote by the Common Council. I am sure that it was difficult decision for the aldermen, as both have a long track record of experience and dedication to the City of Burlington.

One thing thing that is relatively interesting, that you may not have noticed by reviewing the agenda was the rezoning of a small piece of former landfill property to a Business-1 classification. The rezoning paves the way for very unique project in which the city and the developer of the Kohl’s/Pick N’ Save project is going to remove the landfill material from the property and recycle the salvageable items. The remaining waste is going to placed in our old landfill site. The project accomplishes an admirable goal of recycling previously discarded wastes, and saves significant dollars for the developer who would otherwise have to truck away and dump several hundred yards of waste at costs approaching $700,000 or more. I am pleased that we were able to partner with the developer on this project. We are now awaiting DNR approval of our plan, and expect to be doing the work in the very near future.

One local business was gutted by fire this morning, after an apparent electrical short ignited the La Chiquita Store on North Pine Street. While the building’s structure is probably O.K., the fire and smoke caused extensive damage inside. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department was quickly on the scene. They had the fire under control in under 10 minutes. In situations like these, I think it is more than appropriate to say a heartfelt “Thank You” to all those volunteers. They certainly do some great work. My thoughts and prayers go out to the displaced business owners. I hope they will be willing and able to return to business in Burlington soon.

There was a story in the Burlington Standard Press this week about the repair job at the wall that surrounds the old water tower. When I read it, my first thought was why did I not hear about this already? However there is more to the story than what appeared in the article. The story indicated that the repair job was already cracking, and speculated that it may have had something to do with the time of year the wall was repaired. Unfortunately, the story was not completely accurate. There is one small area where 1/4 inch thick section of skim coat is cracking, however the entire repair job is holding up very well. Our city engineers reviewed the issue, and the contractor will be fixing the small area that has cracked.

The bigger issue is that sooner or later (probably sooner) the entire wall itself will have to be addressed. It is obviously very old, and its proximity to the street makes further deterioration a problem. Over the next year  we are going to reveiw the issue in more detail, and you will likely see some sort of recommendation from me and the city engineer for a long term fix to this area.

As some may know, I enjoy long distance running and have completed a few marathons. I am currently training for a half-marathon that I will be running with my brother in a few weeks, so I have been on the roads and trails around the city very often lately. Yesterday about mid-way through my run, I turned a corner and was instantly surrounded by the comforting smell of cocoa beans. Isn’t it great to live in a city that constantly smells like chocolate? For me, it instantly brings me back to memories of sitting around a campfire with my grandfather and sipping scalding hot Swiss Miss from a blue tin cup. (Granted, when I completed my run, I turned my kitchen inside out looking for something to satisfy my urge for a candy bar. Thanks to my latest health kick, I had to be satisfied with a small handful on chocolate chips.)

Don’t forget about our annual Clean Sweep event from 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday at the DPW building, 824 Milwaukee Avenue. The cost is $5 per vehicle and I strongly advise arriving early, as they will close it down once they have reached their capacity. The following items will be accepted at the event: Oil based paint, varnishes, herbicides, fertilizers, pool chemicals, old gasoline, automotive fluids, batteries, aerosol cans, floor products, cleaners and disinfectants. You can also dispose your old prescription medication from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Western Racine County building, 156 East State Street at their Medicine Collection Day.

I had the distinct pleasure of serving as the “emcee” at Mayor Claude Lois’ farewell party. The term farewell party does not really cover the event very well, as it was really an opportunity for folks to say “thanks” for all the hard work and effort that Claude has put in over the last eight years. One of the things I recognized as early as the interview process for this position was Claude’s commitment and ability to simply “get things done.” Over the past eight years and more he has been a key player in many areas, and had to make some tough decisions that did not always please everyone in town.

Among other accomplishments he helped to revitalize the downtown, including the completion of the Riverwalk project. The city’s ability to attract new investment, both from local businessmen and those outside the area is owed in large part to Claude’s ability and perseverance as Mayor. The last “big” project of his tenure — the Veterans Terrace, is moving forward despite some huge obstacles.  Those in the community that have spent anytime with him know that the reason he worked so hard is that - #1) He didn’t know how to work any other way, and #2) He wanted to make Burlington the best community it could possibly be. Thankfully, he has laid a solid foundation that will assist new Mayor Bob Miller and the Common Council in continuing to make progress. I am very thankful for the short time I was able to work with him, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

One of the things that I enjoy most about my job is working with people who volunteer their time and energy to improve our community. I recently had the pleasure of meeting two people who are stepping up to do just that. Carol Reed and Greg Lemieux are currently planning for a new and improved farmers market in downtown Burlington. On their own volition, the pair researched farmers markets all over the area, sought out vendors and worked with downtown merchants to develop a plan for this summer season. I am excited at the big changes that are in store, and I hope that the community will come out and support the new market. In addition to fruits and vegetables, vendors will be selling cheese, meats, arts and crafts and a wide variety of other items. They are also lining up entertainment to complement the market and attract crowds. The new market will be every Thursday afternoon and evening, on Washington Street. It is scheduled to launch Thursday, June 5 - the first Thursday after ChocolateFest. So, mark it on  your calendar and help make the market a big success!

Thank you for taking the time to read my weblog. This blog is designed to keep the citizens of Burlington, the Burlington Common Council, city staff and anyone else interested in this city informed about recent news and events. I will also use it to explain issues and offer opinions on various topics related to the City of Burlington.

For my first post, I thought that it would be appropriate to write about some development activity that is ramping up this Spring. Tonight, the Plan Commission approved a site plan for the RexCon development which will be located in our Burlington Manufacturing and Office Park. This development is a great addition to the park, bringing new investment and new jobs to our city. Mayor Claude Lois, and our previous administrator worked very hard to land this company, and I believe they will be a great asset to our community. During the development process they have been very good to work with, and I look forward to a continued partnership with RexCon.

I am also very happy to report that the well anticipated Kohl’s project is moving full steam ahead. The Plan Commission also approved a site plan for a new Pick N’ Save Grocery store to act as a co-anchor to the new development. While I am looking forward to the new store, it is unfortunate that they will be moving out of their current location. Hopefully the owner of the shopping center will be able to find a new user for their space relatively quickly.

Thanks for visiting my first post, please feel free to stop by anytime!