Inside New Berlin

Whew. What a weekend for area sports fans!

On Friday, it was New Berlin Eisenhower vs New Berlin West. At half-time, the football score was 13-13. Final score: Eisenhower Lions 26. West Vikings 16.

Saturday’s Badger football game in Madison was a real nail-biter. The UW Badgers hung on to beat the Michigan State Spartans 37-34.

The Green Bay Packers not only outscored the Minnesota Vikings 23-16 today (Sunday) at the Metrodome, Brett Favre surpassed Dan Marino to become the NFL’s all-time leader in career touchdown passes.

And the Milwaukee Brewers ended their baseball season above .500 for the first time since 1992!

Here’s what the Journal-Sentinel's Sept. 24 editorial had to say about widening Calhoun Road:

“Traffic
Doing it the right way

A two-lane Calhoun Road in New Berlin no longer meets the needs of growing area businesses and families. What’s needed is a safer four-lane road with sidewalks.

Some New Berlin residents are understandably frustrated that the city has spent two years talking about whether to widen Calhoun Road and yet has been unable to come up with a plan for its reconstruction. And no doubt, some are frustrated that the Common Council was unable recently to override Mayor Jack Chiovatero’s veto of a plan that called for a two-lane reconstruction.

Nevertheless, the veto was the right thing to do, and the failure to override it will serve the city better than the two-lane plan would have.

Because of growing business and residential demands in the area, Calhoun should be widened to four lanes with sidewalks; a two-lane subdivision feeder simply can no longer meet the needs of residents and businesses in the area.

As Chiovatero said in his veto statement, the two-lane road design was unsafe for pedestrians, failed to meet the needs of the New Berlin Industrial Park and did not include provisions for stormwater management. He also stated that a two-lane design would meet traffic capacity on Calhoun Road for only about five years.

That should be unacceptable for residents as well as aldermen.”

“The fact of the matter is the former school district’s administration did not inform the school board of the mold situation at EHS/EMS,” states School Board President Keith Heun (in his letter posted on Matt Thomas’ Aug. 21 blog.)

That raises several questions---

WHO knew about the mold? WHEN did they know about it? WHY didn’t administration inform the School Board? ARE they being held accountable? If not, WHY NOT?
WHY weren’t parents notified immediately about mold problems?

IF, as Heun says, “the School Board you elected is working hard to ensure that facilities are safe for children”, shouldn’t it have a policy requiring prompt notification of parents and the School Board of any health or safety hazards present in the schools? HAS the School Board implemented such a policy?
ARE there other significant health, maintenance, or safety problems at NBPS that weren’t reported to the School Board or parents?

I sent the School District an email requesting information and got a letter response dated August 23. Here are some questions I posed and the District’s answers:
Q. What prompted the scan for mold at Eisenhower?
A. Staff at Eisenhower had detected the mold.

Q. What was the source of the mold?
A. An antiquated HVAC system needing replacement.

At a School Board meeting, the Building & Grounds Director reported that a pipe broke during mold abatement and water gushed onto the floor at Eisenhower. He blamed it on old pipes.
In a Journal-Sentinel interview on the mold issue, the Superintendent spoke of a single-pipe system for hot & cold water, which he called a “design flaw”.
Are there old pipes and "design flaws" in the other schools, too?

Q. Which schools in the District besides Eisenhower have been tested for mold?
A. “At this time we do not have reason to suspect that there is mold in any of our other buildings. Regardless, we are working with EMC, the company who headed the mold abatement project at Eisenhower, to determine possible future mold testing within all of our facilities.”

Possible future testing? No reason to suspect mold is in any of the other schools?
Ummm, what about leaky roofs/ceilings at District Schools? Can't that cause mold?
For example:
Poplar Creek Elementary School’s roof leaked. It was only after a parent complained about it publicly in her privilege of the floor speeches at School Board meetings in February and March 2006, that the roof was “fixed”.
Prospect Hill Elementary School had buckets on the floor to catch water dripping from the school’s ceiling. Later, the District closed the school, but chose to rent the facility to a church group.

Do an internet search of “mold” or “mold in schools” and you’ll find such information as:
a 2000 article on the USA Weekend site that claims mold is on the rise and making kids sick; chronic leaks can turn ceiling tiles, wallboard, or wood into ready-to-eat mold food. Common molds can grow to toxic levels, triggering allergic reactions, including asthma, sinus infections, headaches, coughing, and eye & throat irritations. A doctor/ former chairwoman of the Committee on Environmental Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics asserts that children are more susceptible to mold-related illness than adults because their lungs and other organs are still developing.

A chief scientist for an air quality testing firm contends that mold can start growing any time water leaks.

The Center For School Mold Help web site provides comprehensive information regarding prevention, education and solutions. It reports that mold grows in buildings if the indoor air quality is damp or if there have been water leaks--and that when any building material or furnishing is damp for more than 48 hours, mold may grow.

Children and people with existing respiratory conditions, such as allergies or asthma, tend to have a higher risk for health problems.

The Dept. of Health and Human Services Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) site states:
“If you believe your children are ill because of exposure to mold in their school, first consult their health care provider to determine the appropriate medical action to take. Contact the school’s administration to express your concern and to ask that they remove the mold and prevent future mold growth. If needed, you could also contact the local school board.”

It's commendable that the NB School District administration is taking steps now about Eisenhower’s mold problem.
Parents and staff need to let administration know about mold--and other health and safety problems in our schools--so administration can act on it promptly.
Both administration and School Board should actively encourage that communication.

Eisenhower was t

Here’s what Paul Gallagher’s New Berlin Live Blog says about the letter by Brookfield Alderman Jerry Mellone posted on Ralph Heun’s blog Tuesday----

“Brookfield Alderman Launches Personal Attack Against New Berlin Citizens”
“Brookfield Alderman Gerry Mellone has gone on the offensive against New Berlin citizens Linda Richter and Paul Gallagher by calling them liars. Mellone is upset regarding this NewBerlinLive article, and Linda Richter’s blog entry.
Mellone went to New Berlin City Hall to complain to the Clerk about Richter’s blog.
Mellone is an Alderman, he should have known that is not the correct procedure. He then wrote a lengthy and often incoherent diatribe on Ralph Heun’s New Berlin Now blog attacking Gallagher and Richter for exposing his actions.
In his diatribe Mellone states “I went to New Berlin City Hall today and talked to the city clerk regarding this blog entry stating that I led a group that was trying to evade paying taxes to New Berlin.” No one ever accused Mellone of this. It was stated that he filed a lawsuit to avoid paying his share of sewer and water assessments. In his diatribe, Mellone confirms that he took legal action against New Berlin (Us taxpayers). He also admits he lost the case. (Because he was wrong.)
Gerry Mellone is an elected official. He needs to realize that his actions, both public and private will be subject to public scrutiny. He will often hear things that he doesn’t want to hear. To accuse his critics of being liars, is unacceptable behavior for any public official. For an official from another city to come into New Berlin and start throwing his weight around, is quite obnoxious.”


Check it for yourself. Mellone’s letter starts out by referring to my blog entry, accuses me of lying, then proceeds to claim the blog stated something which it had not. Mellone even drags the City Clerk into his tirade--and rambles on, trying to “refute” statements my blog had not even made.
That’s beyond ludicrous.

Ironically, at the end of his letter, Mellone states: “ I understand we have freedom of speech in this country, however before you accuse someone, you should make an attempt to get the story right.”

Mellone did not bother “getting his story right” before making his attacks against me, a New Berlin resident.

Bottom line: Mellone, a Brookfield public official, has not only misrepresented what I stated in my blog entry, he used his misstatements in a retaliatory attack against me, a New Berlin resident.
He should be held accountable.

In Alderman Ron Seidl's odious and inflammatory flyer circulated prior to last Tuesday’s (Sept. 11) New Berlin Common Council meeting, Seidl alleged that Mayor Chiovatero “ignored the will of the people” on August 31 when he vetoed the Calhoun Road 2-Lane plan and “will stop at nothing to get what he wants…” Click on this link to flyer .

What hooey!

Even a novice public official like Seidl should know that the veto is part of our government system of checks and balances. Does Seidl disapprove of our American system of government? The mayor has veto powers. So do presidents and governors. Will Seidl be ranting next about Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Tommy Thompson, Jim Doyle, and other officials who have vetoed items, and claim they ignored the will of the people…?!!!

Seidl’s sleazy flyer contained other wild attacks and allegations, including insinuations that the City engineer was a puppet of the mayor and ignored the will of the people. Hopefully, Seidl’s malicious and irresponsible statements haven’t damaged that City employee’s professional reputation to such extent that legal action results and we taxpayers end up footing the bill.

Seidl needs a reality check.

The 2-lane plan he favored failed to get widespread support. The City’s Board of Public Works, the City engineer, and half the Common Council did not support it. The Council narrowly approved it with a 4-3 vote. The 4 alderman (Seidl, Dave Ament, Ken Harenda and Tom Augustine) couldn’t muster even one more vote to override the veto.
Seidl’s flyer admitted that some people preferred a 4-lane alternative.

Regarding that “will of the people” rhetoric Seidl spouted: Voters in District 3 did elect him alderman.
However, he shouldn’t forget that Jack Chiovatero is an elected official, too. He was elected mayor by “the people” throughout our city--not just from one district. His constituents are ALL of the citizens of New Berlin.
Furthermore, the mayor has the authority and obligation to veto items he considers wrong, harmful, or which aren’t in the best interests of our city. He contends that, as our mayor, he’s responsible to provide us with safe and well designed roads--and to use our funds and tax money to obtain the best value over the long term. In his press release titled “Response to Misinformation of Calhoun Road Veto, the mayor debunks Seidl’s statements and reports that he’s gotten overwhelming support for the veto and merits of the four lane design versus the shortcomings of the two lane design of Calhoun Road. He asserts “I did not ignore the will of the people, as I have received a high volume of calls all of which were in support of my veto.” Click on this link for the press release .

Ralph Heun titled his Sept. 7 New Berlin Now blog posting: “Resident Comments for 2 lane REBUILDING of Calhoun Road”.

Alas, the “resident comments” (in the posted letter) were from BROOKFIELD residents Jerry and Laurel Mellone.

In their letter’s very first paragraph, the Mellones said they lived in BROOKFIELD.
But they chose to end the letter with this address: 17949 W. Lincoln Ave, New Berlin, directly below their names. I suppose that's their business address. They’ve acknowledged owning an office and warehouse in the New Berlin Industrial Park.

Jerry Mellone is also a BROOKFIELD alderman. He's been opposed to widening Calhoun Road to four lanes. Ald. Mellone couldn't get his Brookfield City Council to see things his way.
Take a peek at the Milw. Journal-Sentinel news article (Aug 22) titled “Brookfield Will Widen Calhoun Road”.
Included in that article: Brookfield Alderman Gary Mahkorn says Brookfield residents overwhelmingly want the road expanded. Also, “An exasperated Ald. Rick Owen accused Mellone of rehashing old arguments.”

Well, Heun’s Sept 7 New Berlin Now blog gave Mellone a soapbox to keep airing his arguments re: Calhoun Road. After Brookfield had rejected them, he sought others to promote and support his agenda.

Did Mellone write the letter to New Berlin citizens posted by Heun because he cares about us New Berlin residents or his own interests?

It was interesting to read in NEW BERLIN resident Paul Gallagher ’s New Berlin Live blog that Mellone was one of a small group who tried to evade paying his share of sewer charges by filing a lawsuit against New Berlin some years ago.

The war in Iraq
Global warming
Campaign corruption
Education
Peace
Grassroots organizing

Those topics and more will be discussed at the sixth annual Fighting Bob Fest, which will be held this Saturday, September 8 from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm at the Sauk County Fairgrounds in Baraboo.

Fighting Bob Fest is an annual gathering featuring speakers, networking opportunities, and entertainment. The organizer is Ed Garvey.

The exciting lineup of scheduled speakers for this event includes:
*Jim Hightower (writer/author; radio host; populist speaker)
*Cindy Sheehan (anti-war activist)
*Doris “Granny D” Haddock (campaign finance reform & clean elections advocate)
*Tammy Baldwin (US Congresswoman)
*Gwen Moore (US Congresswoman)
*Lena Taylor (Wisconsin Senator)
*Barbara Lawton (Wisconsin Lt. Governor)
*Mike McCabe (executive director of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign)
*John Nichols (Capital Times assoc. editor; Washington correspondent for The Nation)
*Laura Flanders (author; host of “Radio Nation” on Air America)
*Stan Gruszynski (former State Assembly Representative; director of Rural Leadership and Commumity Development Program at Stevens Point College)
*Daniel Kunene (poet, professor emeritus African languages and literature-- UW-Madison)
*Sal Rosselli (president of SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West)

For more details (pre-registration; directions to the Fest, etc. ) click here: Fighting Bob Fest
According to that web site, “Fighting Bob Fest strives to provide citizens with a forum for democratic participation where frustrations with current policies can be constructively molded into calls for action”.