Wednesday, December 26, 2012
The station at the corner of Ryan and Howell reopened Sunday; meanwhile, for sale signs have been taken down at La Terraza.
Just in time for Christmas, the Marathon gas station reopened at the corner of Ryan and Howell. An employee at the gas station told me the business reopened Sunday under new management. It had been closed since November; the employee said the owner had some sort of issue with the previous management, but now new management is in place and they plan to be open for the forseeable future. I've been told the owner is Mohammad Nazer, and that he also owns or used to own the building across the street that was La Terraza (He also owns Smile's Liquor, 7872 S. Howell Ave.). Nazer has not returned any of my calls, but I noted today that not only has the gas station reopened, but the "for sale" signs have been taken down at La Terraza. La Terraza …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Oak Creek had short lines at the polls and a surprising number of same-day voter registrations, but voted along familiar party lines.
City Clerk Catherine Roeske had one word to describe how things went at Oak Creek polling places when we spoke late Tuesday afternoon: "Strange." It certainly seems apt. West Middle School was the first stop of my day Tuesday shortly before 9 a.m. Much to my surprise, I didn't find long lines of voters waiting to cast their ballot — only about 10 people were in line when I showed up. The chief inspector told me that lines stretched out the door and down a hallway shortly after the polls opened at 7 a.m., but dissipated after that time. The same story was told at the other five polling places in Oak Creek: a huge early-morning rush, then quiet the rest of the day. It picked up a little in the late afternoon/early evening, but not …
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sikhs and Oak Creek residents have found solace in one another in the weeks following the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin shootings.
I was finishing up a conversation with Tejpreet Kaur, a community organizer with the New York-based Sikh Coalition, when I asked her if there was anything else she wanted to say. "We're thoroughly inspired by the community in Oak Creek," she told me last week. "The courage, the strength, the optimism they have shown has been inspiring." That's funny, I said. Oak Creek residents feel the exact same way about the Sikh community. The tragic events of Aug. 5, when a lone gunman entered the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin and killed six members and injured four others, deeply impacted both groups. And in the days that followed, they have turned to each other for support, mutually inspired by how each has responded. For the Sikh community, they are …
Thursday, July 19, 2012
A number of factors, from the MMSD plant to algae to composting, are contributing to foul smells on the east side of Oak Creek.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Mark Schaaf
-
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Farmers' struggles growing crops and dangerous conditions for fires have been two of the more high-profile effects of this hot and dry summer. Now, add stink to the list. The area on the far east side of Oak Creek has been plagued by foul odors for the past several weeks. City officials and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District, which operates its wastewater treatment plant at 8500 S. Fifth Ave., have fielded complaints from residents living in the neighborhood. Jason Smith, who lives about three miles from the MMSD plant, said it reached far enough to put a cramp on his Fourth of July party. "Everyone attending noticed the smell and commented on it," he said. "It was embarrassing. "It is there nearly daily and is really a problem." …
Monday, May 14, 2012
The Oak Creek Common Council approved plans about a year ago, but construction has yet to begin and for-sale signs are back up on the property.
It was a year ago at this time when a proposal for a Four Points by Sheraton hotel and a large parking lot for the airport surfaced. The development was planned near the corner of College and Howell avenues. After the council approved a package that included $4.5 million in developer assistance, the project was said to be "full speed ahead." But today, there is a distinct lack of a Four Points by Sheraton hotel at the College and Howell intersection, at the least the last time I checked around noon Monday. Or even any sign of impending construction. In fact, "for sale" signs were put back up at that corner sometime earlier this year. The developer for the project, Greg Trapani of Syner G Hotel Group, didn't return a call or e-mail seeking …
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Coffee shop would be second major addition to the Oak Creek Woodman's in the past year.
Earlier this week, I heard some chatter about a coffee shop going in at the Oak Creek Woodman's, 8131 S. Howell Ave. So I reached out to Woodman's on Twitter -- the only way a true investigative journalist handles such rumors -- and they responded that "it's still a possibility, no finalized plans yet though." So there you go. If it came to fruition, it would be the second big addition to Woodman's in the last year, the first being the Associated Bank that opened last July. (I heard the coffee shop would be near the bank on the east side of the store) And it wouldn't be the first coffee shop to be part of a Woodman's, as Starbucks is a part of the company's Kenosha location. It would be interesting if the shop did wind up being Starbucks …
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Getting an education at an Oak Creek day spa.
I'm not normally the kind of dude that goes to a day spa. I don't have anything against them, because, well, I never knew enough to be "against" anything. But on a recent Saturday morning I stopped in at Planet Beach Contempo Spa, 8201 S. Howell Ave., and chatted with new owners Wyatt Foderaro and Phillip Bondi. At the end of our conversation, I decided to try some of the services for myself. I was at the tail end of a particularly stressful week. Why not? Thus began my maiden voyage into the land of the spa. It started with answering a few questions about myself so that Planet Beach can "build a profile" of me, as they do any client. Not surprisingly, "relaxation" was what I would be focusing on, and the services they recommended for me …
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Stop by Tazinos later this week to learn more about Patch.
Got something to say about Oak Creek Patch? I cordially invite you to stop in at the first Patch "office hours," from 11-3 Friday at Tazinos, 8201 S. Howell Ave. There, I would be happy to chat with you about ideas, questions, concerns, criticisms or anything else you want to discuss regarding Patch. Is there something you want to see more of? Want to know more about how your business or organization can utilize Patch? I'd love to hear your thoughts and let you know how to best use Oak Creek Patch. I'll be the guy in the Patch t-shirt and with a big Patch sticker on my laptop. I'll be doing this periodically throughout the year, so look for more events as they are scheduled. And if you can't make it but want to get in touch with me, please…
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Some random thoughts about last night and what it means for the future.
Some stream-of-consciousness thoughts on last night's decision to move the library and city hall to the Delphi site, as I work on four hours sleep and try to get things in order for tonight's mayoral forum... 1. I spoke with Oak Creek-Franklin Superintendent Sara Burmeister today, who responded to some of the criticism that the school district didn't make its position clear to the city. Burmeister said that wasn't the case, that the district let it be known it was open to swapping 50 acres on Oakwood Road for the 12-acre Civic Center site next to Oak Creek High School, but it was waiting to see what the city decided to do with the library and city hall. For example, if the city hall stayed there, the land wouldn't be big enough for a high …
Friday, January 6, 2012
A lot - and I mean a lot - happens before water gets to your house.
Not that this is exactly surprising, but I'm here to tell you that quite a bit goes on before water goes through your faucet. I was recently invited on a tour, led by utility engineer Mike Sullivan, of the Oak Creek water treatment plant at 9325 S. 5th Ave. and found out everything that goes into the process. It all starts at a small facility along the Lake Michigan shoreline that takes raw water from the lake and gets it over to the treatment plant on 5th Avenue. I couldn't take photos there because of security reasons. That seemed weird at the time, but when you think about it, it makes sense. After 9/11, water facilities like this one were seen as potential targets since it's kind of a necessary item for human life. New security …
bburdera
1:17 pm on Saturday, December 29, 2012
Are the small businesses in this area important enough for the community to invest in? I agree with the comments above, but I also think at some point we need to frequent and support this place for the good of Oak Creek. Thriving businesses are good for the city. Is there a way that the elected officials of the city to look into the ethics of what is going on there so consumers can make an … more ›