Local man named to state Auctioneer Board

Nov. 24, 2009 4:08 p.m. | An Oak Creek resident and candidate for Common Council has been named to the state Auctioneer Board.

Gov. Jim Doyle appointed James C. Wenzler to a four-year term on the Auctioneer Board.

The board is responsible for regulating auctioneers and auction companies, closing investigative files and taking disciplinary action.

Wenzler is a human resources manager at Patrick Cudahy Inc. His appointment will go to the state Senate for approval.

As for his candidacy status in Oak Creek, the filing period has not yet begun for Common Council seats up for election in 2010, but Wenzler, through his own Web site, has announced his intention to seek a seat.

Petco will neighbor T.J. Maxx at renewed center

Nov. 24, 2009 4:02 p.m. | As was speculated for the past two months, Petco will open next to the new T.J. Maxx in the Oak Creek Centre, 8581 S. Howell Ave.

An opening date is not known, but the company has submitted plans to the city and applied for the proper permits, said Doug Seymour, director of community development.

City officials say residents have been clamoring for a new local pet store to come into the city. Petco's name had been rumored among possible future tenants since October, when T.J. Maxx announced it would be open in the shopping center.

Resident helps add hope to hospital playroom

Nov. 24, 2009 3:50 p.m. | Thanks to an Oak Creek resident, a fundraising drive for a "Playroom of Hope" at Children's Hospital got $10,000 closer to its goal .

Fay Flatow nominated the children's playroom for a grant as part of Northwestern Mutual's Days of Sharing program.

Northwestern Mutual is awarding money throughout November on behalf of employees, who nominate a local nonprofit organization to receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.

A family is trying to raise $300,000 to build a 1,100-square-foot playroom so siblings of hospitalized children can have a space for entertainment and solace.

Flatow works for Northwestern Mutual as a web design specialist.

Mechanical problem closes Oak Creek library

Nov. 20, 2009 2:42 p.m. | Oak Creek — Potentially dangerous mechanical problems led Mayor Dick Bolender to close the Oak Creek Public Library at noon Friday.

During a routine inspection, holes were found in the heat exchangers in each of the six rooftop heating units, according to Doug Seymour, the city's director of community development.

No abnormal carbon monoxide levels were found, but it is possible that carbon monoxide could be emitted into the building, he said.

New heat exchangers have been ordered and the library will remain closed until they are installed, Seymour said. He said he hopes the library would reopen early next week.

Oak Creek OKs deal for demolishing former Delphi plant

Nov. 18, 2009 12:52 p.m. | Oak Creek — The Common Council on Tuesday approved an agreement that requires the remainder of the former Delphi Automotive Systems plant to be demolished by Oct. 31 and an agreement with a retiring employee that is expected to save the city thousands of dollars.

City Administrator Pat DeGrave said Wednesday:

The Delphi agreement allows for the plant's fire suppression system to be disabled, which enables the owner, DPH Holdings Corp., not to have to pay to heat the 1 million-square-foot facility during the winter.

The savings is expected to nearly cover the cost of razing the roughly 60-year-old building

The property, 7929 S. Howell Ave., is for sale and is being eyed for development.

Oak Creek, employee reach health care compromise

Nov. 17, 2009 3:36 p.m. | Oak Creek — The city and an employee have reached a tentative agreement on retiree health insurance that could save the city thousands of dollars and net the employee $3,000 per year.

The Common Council is scheduled to vote on the agreement tonight.

Wayne St. John is retiring Jan. 2 as city engineer and is eligible for retiree health care both from the city and from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, where he previously worked, City Administrator Pat DeGrave said Tuesday.

St. John approached the city about the situation and has agreed to receive a $3,000 annual payment from the city in exchange for not choosing the city's retiree health care, DeGrave said. The annual payments will be made to St. John's health reimbursement account while he receives insurance coverage through the sewerage district.

The arrangement enables the city, which is self-insured, to avoid being exposed to up to $270,000 per year in medical costs for St. John, his wife and their daughter, DeGrave said.

Oak Creek holds the line on spending, taxes

Nov. 17, 2009 6:20 a.m. | Oak Creek residents will pay the same amount in municipal taxes as they did last year.

The Common Council Monday night unanimously adopted the 2010 city budget that includes a 0.3 percent property tax levy increase and maintains the same tax rate as 2009.

Since the city has not been reassessed in the last year, the tax rate of $5.79 per $1,000 of assessed property value means the city's portion of residents' tax bill will remain the same for most property owners, official said.

The city spent $1.1 million of its reserves to offset a tax rate increase. The $23 million budget is about $233,000 less than last year.

Mayor Richard Bolender said the city not only was able to hold the line on taxes, but did so without any cuts to services.

Judge says Stancl trial to stay in Waukesha County

Nov. 10, 2009 3:04 p.m. | Waukesha - A judge on Tuesday rejected the change-of-venue request of Anthony Stancl, the former New Berlin Eisenhower High School student accused of using the social networking site Facebook to coerce male schoolmates into sexual encounters.

Stancl's attorney, Craig M. Kuhary, said the case should be moved to another county because he doesn't think Stancl, 19, could get a fair trial in Waukesha County because of publicity surrounding the case.

In denying the request, Waukesha County Circuit Judge J. Mac Davis said he did not believe news coverage of the case had permeated Waukesha County.

Davis also said that while there was a burst of coverage after Stancl was charged, there has not been extensive coverage since then.

Stancl was charged Feb. 4 with repeated sexual assault of the same child, possession of child pornography, second- and third-degree sexual assault, five counts of child enticement and one count of causing a bomb scare.

Veterans Day program includes top state school official

Nov. 10, 2009 12:48 p.m. | State Superintendent Tony Evers will participate in a Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday morning at Oak Creek High School.

The event will include a color guard presentation of the flag, band and choral performances and a veteran's remarks.

Evers will thank veterans for their service and encourage students to learn about veterans' stories of heroism and dedication, according to a news release.

Residents have another shot at getting swine flu vaccine

Nov. 05, 2009 3:48 p.m. | Another H1N1 flu vaccine clinic will be held next week in Oak Creek.

The clinic, in conjunction with the Oak Creek-Franklin School District and the cities of St. Francis and South Milwaukee, is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 14 at Oak Creek High School, 340 E. Puetz Road.

Though the clinic is open to any resident, only those people in certain target groups will be vaccinated, Health Officer Judy Price said. The current target group consists of pregnant women, health care and emergency response workers, household contacts and caregivers of children younger than 6 months old, children age 6 months to 4 years old and children 5 to 18 years old with medical conditions.

The Oak Creek Health Department at an Oct. 28 clinic gave more than 300 vaccines, Price said. But unlike other area health departments, such as Greenfield, the vaccine supply did not run out.

Oak Creek hotel developer receives state grant

Nov. 03, 2009 10:00 a.m. | Plans to develop a hotel complex in Oak Creek got a boost from the state when the Department of Commerce announced that the developer, Mil Port LLC, will receive a $615,000 Blight Elimination and Brownfield Redevelopment grant to help redevelop the property.

Mil Port plans to develop a 120-room hotel at 6440 S. 13th St., near General Mitchell International Airport. The state funds will be used to remediate soil and build contaminant-blocking engineered barriers, according to the state.

The total project cost is expected to exceed $17.4 million.