Major Overhaul for Whitney, WIllow and Regent roads

Repairing and restoring these key roads will cost more than $1 million. Be prepared to use alternate routes starting in the next several weeks.

The Fox Point Village Board last week approved an amount of $1.16 million to repair and restore key roads in the community, centering on Whitney, Willow, and Regent Roads. The road, water main, and storm sewer project will affect parts of those roads west of Santa Monica Boulevard. “The project arose out of years of planning associated with the road,” said Fox Point Director of Public Works and Village Engineer Scott Brandmeier. Brandmeier explained while Whitney Road was in poor condition, many nearby areas needed to be taken care of as part of a larger project. Brandmeier said once the necessary paperwork is filled out with the construction contractor, the contractor could start inspections in the next two to three weeks. They would …

• Photos (1)

Fox Point Reluctantly Approves NSFD Funding Formula

Board President Michael West said he wouldn't characterize Fox Point's contribution as "fair," however, he pledged to work "night and day" to help create a mutually agreeable formula between all seven municipalities.

Although many members of the Fox Point Village Board members publically cited concerns with the "fairness" of the North Shore Fire Department's funding formula, the resolution was approved Tuesday with a three-year sunset period. "I wouldn't characterize these as necessarily fair, but they're all we've got," Village President Michael West said. "I've never said that 10.31 represents what I will characterize as 'our fair share.' I believe that our fair share needs to be set an active, seven-way negotiation on a new formula."  NSFD is a shared service among seven communities: Bayside, Brown Deer, Fox Point, Glendale, River Hills, Shorewood and Whitefish Bay. But the fire department doesn't have any taxing or borrowing authority, so each of …

• Photos (1)

Proposed NSFD Fee Schedule Rankles Fox Point Trustees

A village trustee says Fox Point is contributing more than it should to the shared fire department, and the board declined to approved the new proposed fee schedule, asking instead for re-examination and a sunset clause.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect a correction in the numbers for Fox Point's 2012 contributions.  While four of the seven communities served by the North Shore Fire Department have adopted freezing the fee contributions, Fox Point Village Board members are looking for relief and a three-year sunset clause on the new schedule. "Compared to the original formula, it seems Fox Point is giving up more than the other communities are," trustee F.R. Dengel said Tuesday. "It seems like we're being asked to pay for more than our fair share." Fox Point paid 10.38 percent ($1.2 million) of NSFD's costs in 2012; the proposed formula has the village paying 10.31 percent. Village President Michael West said the Village Board will …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Sarah Worthman

10:45 am on Thursday, July 12, 2012

Thanks for the comment, Adam. At this point, I'm not sure. They didn't discuss that in detail at the meeting. The majority of the conversation was spent deciding if a five or three-year sunset would be appropriate. However, I have asked to receive a copy of their formal letter they will send to the Fire board and that should outline their reasons. I'll be sure to post that information as soon as …   more ›

Village Contracts Green Tree Road Reconstruction For More Than $850,000

The project includes replacing parts of the storm sewer and water main, and constructing a pedestrian path.

In an effort to improve Green Tree Road, the village is pumping more than $850,000 into a comprehensive project that will replace parts of the storm sewer and water main, reconstruct the road, and add a pedestrian path. The work will be done by Reeseman's Excavating & Grading from Burlington, and the money will be spent as follows: An additional $9,750 is allocated to replace the pedestrian path between Quarles Place and Links Way. Public Works Director Scott Brandmeier said he believes Glendale will make an adjoining path. Village board members also had to decide Tuesday whether to take the opportunity to widen the sewer pipes under Green Tree Road as a means of alleviating flooding in the area. "I thought I’d be remiss not discussing …

• Photos (1)

Village Approves Additional $17,500 for Footbridge Planning

Village President Michael West says contractor Ayers should "Bring their A game."

Though the Fox Point Village Board still has not yet decided whether to rebuild, replace or remove the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge, they allocated another $17,500 to planning purposes at their meeting Tuesday. Ayers Associates, the contracter who the village recently authorized to plan a new bridge, asked for the additional funding to meet the Village Board's requests for renderings of the bridge in order to solicit donations. "These renderings is what this project is hinging upon," Trustee Christine Symchych said. The board has resolved not to move forward with construction before residents secure $625,000 in donations for the project, with a deadline of January 31, 2013. That value is approximately half of a rough estimation for the …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)

Don Jacobs

9:03 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012

Just a little speculation.......it would not be unusual for a municipality to request a bid from a contractor and then reduce the contractors scope of work to get the price down. It would also not be unusual for the municipality to then be unhappy with the work submitted by the contractor due to the reduced scope of work (read lower price/lower quality) and then authorize additional expenditures …   more ›

Fox Point Village Board Authorizes Planning for Replacement Footbridge

Ayers will design a brand new bridge in accordance with specifications from Village President Michael West, however, construction will not begin just yet.

Fox Point Village Board members voted Tuesday to have consultant Ayers Associates design a brand new bridge to replace the old Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge in accordance with specifications laid out by President Michael West. "Don’t forget, we are not committed to building a bridge," West said. Tuesday's decision does not tie the board to constructing anything that the consultant, Ayers Associates, creates. However, it does set the board on that path, as they utilize the allocated $37,773 contract with Ayers to plan a replacement bridge rather than repair or removal. Trustee Beverly Bell suggested modifying West's proposal to request Ayers also look into repair options, but other trustees voted it down. "If we take your motion, it is …

•  8 Comments
• Photos (1)

Fox Point Trustees Say They May Vote on Footbridge at Next Board Meeting

Trustees say they need information, residents on both side of bridge issue just want a decision.

The Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge saga continued Tuesday night when nearly 75 people attended the Village Board meeting, leaving a dozen people standing and not enough agendas to go around. The meeting began with a report from The Boldt Company, a construction firm hired to complete a report on the bridge. They offered four different construction options ranging in cost from $1.45 million to $1.75 million. However, each option was laced with concern for the environmental impacts the construction would have on the ravine, which many residents have cited as their largest concern. Residents were chomping at the bit to make their feelings known for and against work on the bridge. President Michael West reminded audience members that the first …

• Photos (1)

Fox Point Village President Heading MMSD Panel

Michael West, engineer and architect, will take over as Chairman in 2012.

Fox Point Hiring Another Firm to Study Bridge

The Boldt Company will take another look at replacement options for the footbridge.

The Fox Point Village Board on Tuesday evening approved yet another study for the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge, this time to be completed by The Boldt Company. Neighbors of the bridge, Jack and Cissy Bryson and Mary and James Connelly, asked the board what it needs to make a decision, questioning why a third firm needs to be brought in to study the bridge. Village President Michael West said it's a matter of the board obtaining enough information to make an informed decision. "As far as I'm concerned, this is new information," West said. The Boldt Company, a construction services firm out of Appleton, will meet with Ayers Associates to work with them on the previous studies that have been done on the bridge. According to the proposal from…

• Photos (1)

Village Tax Levy Rises 2.2 Percent in Fox Point

An owner of a $250,000 house can expect to pay an extra $32 next year.

With an audience of only one resident at the special public meeting, the Fox Point Village Board Wednesday approved a $6.8 million budget for 2012 that's up by 0.19 percent from 2011. The village also approved the $6.95 million tax levy, up 2.22 percent over last year. This breaks down to a tax rate of $6.55 per $1,000 of assessed value, which is up from $6.42 one year ago. An owner of a $250,000 house can expect a $32 increase on the tax bill, bringing the total to roughly $1,637. In addition to the levy, sewer rates are going up. A typical resident will see the quarterly sewer bill go from $84.30 to $87.81, about 4 percent. While the meeting was open to the public, only one resident showed up to voice his concerns about the overall tax …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)