Bayside Residents Might Have to Swallow $670K Water Bill

Costs to maintain well water in Bayside continue to balloon, but switching to municipal water carries a large, long-term price tag.

Bayside residents looking to make the switch from maintaining private wells to the lesser responsibility of having city water may each face up to a $13,000 bill for constructing the mains over the next two decades.  About 70 percent of Bayside residents currently have well water, whether individual, private or shared. Those wells are coupled with continually increasing costs for maintenance and Howard Feiges, trustee for Northway Water co-op No. 1, is making the push to get residents to switch to city water with Mequon Water Utilty. Feiges contends a homeowner on a private well can expect to pay $10,000 on repair costs during a 10-year period and a switch to municipal water would mean Mequon is responsible for the repairs. Currently, …

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North Shore Unions Have Cautious Optimism Over Act 10 Strike Down

After Act 10 was ruled unconstitutional by a Dane County judge Friday, union reps for NSFD and local schools are saying they are cautiously optimistic about the ruling, expecting a long road ahead before bargaining rights are restored.

Just hours after Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas decided that the state’s collective bargaining law was unconstitutional, local officials and union representatives across the North Shore reacted in varying ways. Teachers union and firefighter union representatives are approaching the law's possible repeal cautiously, while local governments say their budget is set and unimpacted by the change. Colas ruled Act 10 — the budget repair bill — as null and void because the law violates both the state and U.S. constitutions. Specifically, the law violates the guarantee of freedom of speech and citizens' freedom of association. Mark Conforti is the chief negotiator for the Fox Point-Bayside School District teachers union. He said that while …

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UPDATE: Overnight Power Outage in Bayside Restored in about 2 Hours

Residents at Bayside Woods Condominiums lost power between 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and 1:30 a.m. Thursday due to an underground cable fault.

Updated 9:58 a.m. Wednesday: An overnight power outage in Bayside on Tuesday. was restored after about 2 hours and 15 minutes. WE Energies spokesman Brian Manthey said 722 customers lost power at 11:16 p.m. due to an underground cable fault. All customers were restored by 1:30 a.m. WE Energies outage map showed of the 2,046 customers served in Bayside, 719 were without power as of 11:16 p.m. Tuesday night. Three locations were under investigation by WE Energies — the Bayside Woods Condominiums off Fairy Chasm and Port Washington Roads, as well as Fairy Chasm Road near Rexleigh Drive and near Jonathan Lane.  Bayside Village Manager Andy Pederson asks that concerned residents look to WE Energies, 800-662-4797, for updates on the power …

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Operational Spending in Bayside Among Highest in Area Per-Capita

New report looks at municipal spending and debt in 2010. Where does your community rank?

A handful of villages and cities in the Milwaukee metro area considerably outpaced their fellow municipalities when it came to spending and debt levels in 2010, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Taxpayer Alliance.  In terms of debt per capita, Saukville ($3,353) and Sturtevant ($3,157) were in the top dozen among the 243 municipalities the Madison-based organization collected data on for its annual examination of municipal spending trends. Bayside led in highest operations spending per person at $1,148, however, Village Manager Andy Pederson said that number is a bit skewed.  "We cannot quantify where they get their per capita numbers from," Pederson said. "Based off of our general fund tax levy and population, our …

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Heard in the Hall

Celebrating the 4th of July Safely

Fireworks are popular during Independence Day celebrations, however there are both village and state firework regulations and village code is more restrictive than State Statute regarding fireworks.

Independence Day is a time for celebration and summer fun.  Fireworks are commonly associated with 4th of July celebrations; however, the Village would like to remind residents of important Village and State firework regulations.  Village code is more restrictive than State Statute in regards to fireworks.  Below are some important reminders regarding fireworks in the Village.      Keep these regulations in mind when celebrating our Independence Day and help keep it fun and safe for everyone. Also, due to the dry weather that we have been experiencing in this area, fireworks can also be a fire hazard.  Fireworks have the potential to ignite dry grass, shrubs, and even structures in these dry conditions.

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Heard in the Hall

Mutual Respect: Cars and Bicycles Sharing the Road

Village Manager Andy Pederson offers some tips for safe travels when bicyclists and vehicles are sharing the village roadways.

The weather has turned, and that means it's perfect for getting out and enjoying everything Bayside has to offer, including walking and biking through the village.  While all forms of traffic are welcome, we ask that everyone practice safe habits, and respect other users of the road.  When possible, we ask bikers to please ride single file on the narrower, interior roads, to help ease traffic congestion, and to ride quietly and as you live there.  Vehicles should also give bicycles plenty of room, and to acknowledge their place on our streets.  With everyone working together, we know everyone can enjoy the great weather, and beautiful scenery Bayside has to give. Safe travels!

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Heard in the Hall

New Signs Perched at Village Entryways

Old signs were more than 15 years old.

Bayside has a new look! New village entryway signs were placed at entryways throughout the Bayside. While one sign will be placed after drier grounds prevail, you can still view signage at the following locations: The signs replace the older entry signs, which were over 15 years old, and required extensive rehabilitation or overall replacement. 

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Heard in the Hall

Destination 650: A Record Breaking Year for Bayside

Residents recycled more than 582 tons in 2011.

Last year will be a memorable year for many reasons, one of which is the record amount of recycling disposed of by Bayside residents. In 2011, residents recycled more than 582 tons. That's more than 35 additional tons (70,000 lbs.) more than in 2010 - an astonishing feat. Coupled with the a nearly 65 ton decrease in garbage tonnage collected, the village avoided approximately 100 tons of materials heading into the landfill; a result that is not only environmentally conscious, but also economically friendly - saving approximately $5,000 in landfill fees.  The hard work doesn't stop here, though. We know we can continue this into 2012, with a goal to finally break 600 tons. Want to help? Here's how:

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Locals Looking To Make a Change in 2012

From smooth transitions to health improvements, Fox Point and Bayside is looking toward change for the New Year.

Watching the ball drop at midnight New Year’s Day is one way to ring in the new year. Many people also ring in the new year with a new hope or focus. With 2011 drawing to a close, there are the common resolutions that you might typically see in the North Shore. A lot of people try quitting a bad habit, losing weight or saving money to name a few but for the majority of people, it’s tough to keep off those bad habits. Some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions are, according to USA.gov: So what kinds of New Year’s resolutions are there in the North Shore?  Tommy Talesnik, who owns Tommy’s Shoe Repair on Port Washington Road and has been a part of the community since his business opened in 1986, after he immigrated here from Russia. “…

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Heard in the Hall

Stay Lean, Go Green

More recycling means lower cost of village services.

The more the village recycles, the more money the village saves. While the price of recycling goods has been significantly lower due to multiple economic factors, the village still receives a small stipend for all the goods that are recycled. As the price of recyclables, like aluminum and glass, begin to rise in the future, the village will reap the rewards and can put that money towards other priorities. This money is used to lower the cost of services for and helps the village provide more services without having to increase expenses for residents.  Another big way recycling helps the village save money is through lower tipping fees for garbage. When residents recycle items instead of throwing them in the garbage, they help to offset the…

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