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By Linda Richter
Monday, Aug 18 2008, 07:20 PM
On August 14, New Berlin’s Utility Committee unanimously approved the water agreement with the City of Milwaukee. See JS report.
I reckon that displeases unsuccessful NB aldermanic candidate JJ Blonien.
His vehement opposition to the water agreement and attack against our mayor had been popping up all over NOW.
Blonien’s rant was posted online in NOW’s Your Stories (Aug.1) and Community Voices (Aug. 4) sections and published in the Aug. 7 New Berlin-Muskego NOW newspaper (Best of Blogs).
And that wasn't all. NOW added a “forum” about the water agreement to its web page. The "forum" provided just two highlighted links: one to a reporter’s article, the other to Blonien’s blog deriding the mayor and water deal. The "forum" posed the question "What do you think of the deal?" (So far, only two individuals have posted comments to it)
The interactive “forum” NOW created did not include a link to the Your Stories July 31 blog item by Tiffany Wankowski that was supportive of the water deal. With the author's permission, I am posting it here.
New Berlin Residents to Receive Safe, Healthy Water Through Agreement with City of Milwaukee
By Tiffany Wankowski
NewBerlinNOW.com user
Posted: July 31, 2008
20-year water-sharing deal resolves New Berlin's radium problem while complying with Great Lakes Water Resources Compact
NEW BERLIN, Wis. - New Berlin Mayor Jack Chiovatero today praised separate water-sharing and regional benefit agreements approved by the Milwaukee Common Council, saying the agreements will provide safe and healthy water for New Berlin residents while demonstrating regional cooperation on important issues. The New Berlin Common Council is scheduled to vote on the agreements in the next several days.
"The water-sharing agreement is a major health and safety victory for the City of New Berlin," Chiovatero said. "After being ordered by the state Department of Natural Resources to resolve the threat posed by radium-contaminated wells in the central third of New Berlin or face substantial fines, our engineers researched a number of alternatives. Repairing the system would cost many millions of dollars, and purchasing water from Racine or Oak Creek would not be cost-effective at this time. The agreement with the City of Milwaukee is the best combination of cost and providing New Berlin citizens with the safest, healthiest water available."
The City of New Berlin has purchased Lake Michigan water from Milwaukee to serve the community's eastern third since 2005. The new agreement expands the service area to also provide Lake Michigan water to New Berlin's central third. The agreement will be in effect for 20 years, with water supplied through existing New Berlin water mains and pumping stations. New Berlin's western third, largely undeveloped land that is not served by City water or sewer systems, is not part of the plan, will not receive Lake Michigan water and will retain its rural character.
A second, separate agreement calls for the City of New Berlin to make a one-time, $1.5 million regional benefits payment to the City of Milwaukee. Chiovatero said the payment recognizes that important issues extend beyond community borders and shows regional support for Milwaukee's efforts to address shared Milwaukee-New Berlin concerns such as transportation, job creation and other issues. The New Berlin Water Utility will fund the full cost of the one-time payment, and tax dollars will not be used, Chiovatero said.
"Our joint and successful efforts such as passage of the Great Lakes Compact and the water talks between our two cities show the good that can come from suburban and urban leaders finding ways to work cooperatively," he said. "The City of New Berlin looks forward to finalizing these agreements with the City of Milwaukee and to future positive partnerships."
The water agreement adds Lake Michigan water service to approximately 3,930 New Berlin customers, as well as approximately 400 new homes projected to be built in the approved service area over the next 20 years. New Berlin will pay Milwaukee a rate determined by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, which regulates the state's utilities. The current average rate is $1.12 per 1,000 gallons, and the City of Milwaukee could see over $40 million in revenue because of the deal. The agreement sets a peak rate of pumpage from Milwaukee at 6.5 million gallons a day. (For comparison purposes, average 2007 water demand for the entire City of New Berlin was 3.184 million gallons per day.)
The New Berlin-Milwaukee agreement fully complies with the Great Lakes Water Resources Compact, which Gov. Doyle signed in May. The Compact allows Lake Michigan water to be temporarily diverted outside the Great Lakes Basin to serve communities like New Berlin that straddle the basin dividing line, provided the water goes back into the lakes. Because eastern and central New Berlin are served by existing Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District sewers, all water going to New Berlin will be returned to Lake Michigan.
"This is a good agreement
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By Linda Richter
Friday, Jul 25 2008, 05:54 PM
Recently, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters published a Conservation Scorecard of our state legislators’ votes on key conservation issues during the 2007-08 legislative session. Mary Lazich got a dismal score-- the lowest score of the Wisconsin State Senators.
Contending that a Scorecard score sometimes “doesn’t do enough to illustrate just how far some legislators will go to jeopardize Wisconsin’s natural resources” and that some legislators are “grossly out-of-line with the conservation values of their constituents”, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters added a “Conservation Dishonor Roll”. Four legislators’ names (including Mary Lazich’s) are on that “Dishonor” list. Senator Lazich and Representative Sheryl Albers got their “Dishonor” mention for ignoring the overwhelming public and bi-partisan support of the Great Lakes Compact and being the only legislators to oppose its passage.
( Check out what James Rowen's The Political Environment blog, July 16 entry says about Sen. Lazich's actions, too )
It's not the first time that Sen. Lazich’s (R-New Berlin) performance earned a citizen group's disapproval.
The CRG Network (an outgrowth of Citizens for Responsible Government PAC), which touts holding politicians accountable, has accused Sen. Lazich of dishonesty. Their Web site states, “ Lazich lied to constituents when asked whether she voted for the pro-taxpayer majority leader. CRG Network did an investigational poll that revealed at least one senator lied about their vote and Lazich was forced to confess to her lie when CRG pushed for a re-vote. She subsequently resigned the leadership post she was promised in return for her vote under continued CRG Network pressure.” See my July 10 blog post.
My June 20 blog entry reported that Sen. Lazich’s name is on the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s list of “Public Enemies”. The WDC is a non-partisan political watchdog group that tracks money in Wisconsin politics and supports clean government and pro-democracy reform.
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By Linda Richter
Tuesday, Jun 24 2008, 12:48 AM
Conservative Journal Sentinel editorial columnist/blogger Patrick Mcllheran has spoken up on behalf of the Deer Creek Inn project and against its critics. In his article "Water parks and fairy tales" published in early June, Mcllheran refutes the arguments of a Milwaukee alderman and other opponents of the hotel/indoor water park planned for New Berlin.
Mcllheran pooh-poohs the notion that the project would add to “the sprawl that has gone unchecked in Waukesha County”. The site is not a cornfield, Mcllheran argues. He points out that the hotel replaces five old houses at Moorland Rd and Greenfield Ave. Apartment complexes, decades-old ranch homes, an industrial park, the freeway and Brookfield Square are nearby.
Mcllheran contends that the project won't harm the lake: Yes, the hotel/water park would use Lake Michigan water and lies beyond the boundaries of the Great Lakes basin. However, all that water “goes back”. Since the water would be returned to the lake, there’d be zero effect on the level of the lake.
Mcllheran also scoffs at objections that the water park is an “extravagant use of water”. He counters that approximately 8,000 gallons a day will be used for the water park ( that’s about one middling above- ground backyard pool). Mcllheran compares that to New Berlin’s biggest water customer (a metal-finishing plant), which uses a whopping 300,000 gallons per day! Furthermore, a water park designer is quoted in the article stating: “What’s splashing in a water park is bought, filtered, treated, and heated at considerable expense, so it is recycled.”
Mcllheran adds, “Many people worry sincerely about the fate of the Great Lakes. It’s a worthy sentiment to which politicians append dubious agendas. The cliches and outright fiction on which are built the arguments against the New Berlin water park, the supposed acme of suburban absurdity, reveal just how groundless those agendas are.”
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By Linda Richter
Saturday, Apr 26 2008, 01:44 AM
Now that I'm back from my Florida trip, in my spare time I've been trying to catch up on the local news. One news item stood out from the rest --the announcement of an agreement on the Great Lakes compact.
That announcement was a momentous event because of its importance and impact on New Berlin residents and so many others--- and because it was right here in New Berlin (City Hall) that Gov. Doyle, some mayors and legislators, business and environmental leaders had gathered to make the announcement.
I was pleased to see the news coverage of it.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and MyCommunity NOW had news articles, pictures.
New BerlinNOW blogger Audrey Juds (Then Again) did a fine piece titled Great Lakes Water.
In his FranklinNOW blog (Today’s Concerns), Greg Kowalski shared his thoughts about the compact and announcement.
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By Linda Richter
Friday, Mar 7 2008, 12:44 AM
On March 6, the Senate passed the Great Lakes Compact.
The vote was 26-6. Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) was among the handful who voted no.
The Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters site reports on the Bill and the Senate action.
Check out these other sources of information:
- Greg Kowalski’s FranklinNOW blog “Today’s Concerns” has data and commentary on the subject. By the way, Greg is a member of Franklin’s Environmental Commission.
- The March issue of Milwaukee Magazine contains a comprehensive and interesting article titled “The Politics of Water”.
- Jsonline (Journal Sentinel) reported poll results indicating widespread public support in Wisconsin for the Great Lakes Compact.
- ExpressMilwaukee.com (Shepherd Express) has also published information about the Compact, including this February 20 article.
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By Linda Richter
Friday, Jul 20 2007, 07:13 PM
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According to the July 19-25 Shepherd Express newspaper, a special Legislative Council Committee on the Great Lakes Water Resources Compact, which met Tuesday, has until mid-September to reach a compromise on the compact. Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) serves on that committee and has opposed the compact.
Sen. Lazich's recent blog contains some quotes from that article.
But not these ones:
“Jodi Habush Sinykin, counsel for Midwest Environmental Advocates and a member of the compact committee, agreed with Ambs that New Berlin would directly benefit by supporting the compact.”
* The article identifies Todd Ambs as DNR’s water division administrator.
“ ‘It’s been difficult to understand why the New Berlin politicians have opposed the compact when it offers the best mechanism for them to move forward toward a diversion,’ Sinykin said.”
Also, in the same issue of the Shepherd Express-----
“Milwaukee certainly will be able to survive and get by,” state Rep. Mark Gundrum (R-New Berlin) said about the Assembly Republicans’ version of the budget which makes steep cuts in safety and education programs that are targeted for Milwaukee.”
“Radical conservatives may applaud Gundrum’s comment, but it couldn’t come at a worse time for his constituents, many of whom work and play in the city and certainly want Milwaukee to do much more than “survive”. New Berlin is asking the state for Lake Michigan water, and it would need Milwaukee’s cooperation to make it work. Should Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett tell New Berlin residents to “survive” on bottled water, just as Gundrum wants Milwaukee to survive on limited resources?”
Additionally, today's (July 20) Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel editorial says:
“The compact as proposed is a big improvement on the current agreement. It sets up formal standards and definitions and includes an appeals process. It’s not perfect--Illinois, for example, gets a big pass on a big diversion--but it’s probably the best deal that can be worked out right now. Lazich is wrong to oppose it.”
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