News & Notes: March 19

Two men face drug charges

An Oak Creek man faces charges of manufacturing marijuana and maintaining a drug-trafficking place.

According to the Oak Creek police log:

The 63-year-old man was arrested about 8:30 a.m. March 13 after police conducted a search warrant at his residence in the 10400 block of South Mockingbird Lane. Officers located seven small marijuana plants in his home and a "marijuana growing area" in his basement.

Police discovered the man had taken five more plants to a residence in the 4200 block of South 124th Street in Greenfield. Police also found 23 large marijuana "growing" plants there and at least 8 ounces of marijuana throughout the residence, and arrested a 51-year-old Greenfield man for manufacturing marijuana, possessing marijuana and keeping a drug house.

The men had not been charged as of NOW's deadline.

City borrows for water treatment plant upgrade

Oak Creek's pending water treatment plant expansion might be eligible for low-interest loans through the Department of Natural Resources' Safe Drinking Water Loan Program next year.

The Common Council on March 17 approved a resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of $12.5 million worth of revenue bond anticipation notes, which must be in place in order to receive a low-interest loan.

If a loan is unavailable, the anticipation notes would be replaced with revenue bonds within two years in order to finance the project.

The expansion, approved in November, includes a 300,000-gallon elevated backwash water tank and other updates. It will increase the capacity of the treatment plant from 20 million gallons to 28 million gallons per day.

City tries to recoup cleanup costs

After public hearings March 9 and 11, the Oak Creek Common Council is poised to collect money from Andrew Zielinski for the cleanup of his property.

Armed with a court order, the city in January 2007 cleaned up Zielinski's property, 3840 E. Puetz Road, at a cost of more than $156,000, after Zielinski failed to do so on his own, despite repeated warnings.

He requested a trial court waive the judgment but was denied.

The council will consider a resolution to impose the special charges either Monday, April 6, or Monday, April 13. If the resolution is approved, Zielinski would be required to reimburse the city by Aug. 1 or face collection efforts by Milwaukee County.