359 Degrees

Hi Scott,

Maybe a preview of issues you think will be interesting, beneficial, or controversial in the upcoming year in Brookfield?  I know you do a bit of this by previewing and reviewing the council meetings, but you probably have knowledge about what is on the horizon that might fly under the radar to many residents. One issue I can think of would be the possible widening of North Ave. to four lanes. I know that isn't technically in the cities hands anymore, but what is the current status. I for one would be in favor of it, since I see the traffic problems along that stretch Everyday.

Thanks!

Scott,

Could you let us know where we stand on quiet train crossings.  I know Elm Grove has done it and we were looking at it.  Thanks.

The city of Brookfield should look even more seriously at environmental/sustainability issues.  We should start quickly with the leaf burning ban, but should recognize that there is so much else to do.

Ah, you say, but Brookfield is so conservative.  You can't sell an Al Gore/Sierra Club agenda here.  Fair enough.  Make sustainablility align with fiscal responsibility.  For example, if installing a geothermal unit for heating/cooling of city hall and related buildings cost $X00K with a 20 year return on investment calculated on current energy costs, a 5% return on investment is reasonable.  As energy costs rise, the ROI will rapidly improve, and you can insulate future city budgets from the ravages of out-of-control energy costs.

Speaking of insulation, has the city done all it can on the little things?  Do we have enough insulation in the ceilings?  High efficiency lighting?  Are all the hot water pipes insulated?  Does every city vehicle get its tire pressure measured every month?  What kind of vehicles are we buying?

As we save money on these projects, we can move to some things we should do, where the cost benefits are less tangible.  We should heavily plant our lawn spaces with trees, for example, to reduce our carbon impact.

We all know that the Madison Wisconsins of the world are doing these things.  Think of the value of accomplishing the same things in a right-of-center community.

Scott's reply:

Most of the things you listed regarding the City Hall building have already been done or are included in the current remodeling.  I will get more details and write a future blog on them.  Fleet management is also a good topic since the city can't stop police patrols, snow plowing, etc. and is thus at the mercy of vehicle and gas prices.

I'd like to see something on the issue of backyard feeding of wildlife here. The DNR has regulations about what is and is not allowed. We have a problem in our neighborhood with one person who feeds wildlife in the backyard, with numerous feeders on the ground as well as birdfeeders (which we have no objection to.) The ground feeders are attracting rodents, raccoons and at least 35 wild turkeys to the backyard, which adjoins ours. The rodents have tunneled into our yard, our retaining wall, causing collapse; they have chewed their way into our home through the wood siding (chewed holes right through the cedar board and took up residence inside the house with resulting urine damage to wallpaper, ceilings) and have taken up residence under our deck, chewing the frames of our basement windows, which then needed replacement. There is animal dung all over the yard, and avian dung is known to carry disease. The problem has proliferated with the increase in the feeding. We have asked this neighbor nicely to stop certain feeding citing the problems it is creating. However, the neighbor refuses and actually has put out more feeders when we ask for a reprieve. It's her contention that "all the animals were here to begin with." But that is not correct, since the problem started with the active feeding. We coexisted peacefully with a normal population of critters for years prior to the neighbor moving here.

When is this type of activity an attractive nuisance. Can the city consider limiting the activity or numbers of feeders in a yard? We like wildlife as much as anyone else, but we did not buy our home with the idea that our backyard would become a wildlife refuge with a concentrated population. The turkeys and racoons are a particular problem due to the numbers and due to the disease spreading potential. A few years back, city police had to shoot a rabid racoon in the area right up the street. Why do people think that feeding wild animals is a great idea? A couple bird feeders is one thing but setting up a petting zoo in the backyard is another.

HI Scott,

I was wondering what the plans/schedules are for deer herd control and mosquito spraying

Are there reports about herd control that we can find online?  I know there was a large, damaging herd pretty regularly appearing in my neighborhood early this spring, but they seem to have disappeared.

Thanks!

Scott's Reply:

I just got a copy of the official deer census.  I'll post it soon with some comments.