Crews Continue Investigation Into Sewer Blockage

Along with Bayside crews, officials from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District are on scene pumping out a sanitary sewer line into another manhole.

Crews plan to work late Thursday night attempting to narrow down the cause of a blocked sewer line, which caused sewage to backup near a Brown Deer Road garden center.  At 7 Thursday morning, crews began investigating the blocked sewer near the Bayside Garden Center. As of 5 p.m., Bayside and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District were still attempting to find the cause of the blocked line, Village Manager Andy Pederson said. Pederson told Patch crews expect to continue work until 2 a.m.  Crews are pumping wastewater out of sanitary sewer line and into a manhole down the block in an effort to clear the pipe and investigate the blockage. Once they have the line cleared, crews can use cameras to find the cause, Pederson explained. …

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Veggies That Can Go in the Ground Now, Before the Spring Bloom

The spring bloom is nearly here. Many are undoubtedly ready now to take to their gardens — and it’s not too early.

The spring bloom is nearly here. And many are undoubtedly ready now to take to their gardens — but it’s not too early. Vegetables like parsley, radish, lettuce, kohlrabi, leek, onion, carrots, sweet peas can go in the ground now, said Eva-Lisa Neske, horticultural consultant at the Bayside Garden Center. On the flower side, Neske recommended pansies, violas, and snapdragons as ones that can be planted early. She said she has noticed a moss trend — a lot of people using it to cover patches of a lawn that aren’t growing because they are in a shaded area. “You just soak it in water and just put it in the area that’s shady and keep watering it,” she said.  Neske said she expects the coleus flowers to be really popular this spring and summer. 

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Bayside Garden Center Featured on Tonight Show with Jay Leno

During "Headlines," Leno points out the map to show the location of this gardening hub is a bit unspecific.

On Monday evening, Jay Leno of the Tonight Show featured Bayside Garden Center in their segment, "Headlines." Around the 30 second mark, Leno points out that the map that's supposed to show the location of the green thumb hub is less than descriptive, since it's just shown on Brown Deer Road - which stretches through multiple cities and villages. Bayside Garden Center owner Steven Kolowith was out of town Tuesday but an employee said she hadn't heard about the businesses appearance on the late night show. She did say that about three years ago though, Leno had featured a similar piece for headlines. But this isn't the first time Wisconsin has had a proud moment on the talk show. Back in 2008, Park Falls was featured for a police report …

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Heard in the Hall

Gift Cards for a Good Cause

Pick up your Bayside Garden Center gift card to help maintain the Bayside Middle School prairie. Cards are available until June 8.

Did you know that Bayside Middle School has a prairie that is used as an outdoor classroom?  Students in all grades use it for hands-on learning about native plants and the insects, critters, birds and butterflies that visit or live there. To help fund and maintain the prairie, Bayside Middle School is once again selling gift cards to Bayside Garden Center.  A total of 15 percent of all gift card sales go to benefit Bayside Middle School's outdoor classroom and prairie.  Gift cards can be purchased and picked up at the Bayside and Stormonth school offices. Please be aware there is a 24 hour turn-around time to receive your gift cards.  If you want to purchase your gift card with a check, please make checks out to Bayside Middle School.  …

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Have a Favorite Florist?

We couldn't name the favorite Fox Point-Bayside florist due to low participation in our Readers' Choice competition, but we'd still like to hear your take on our local flower shops.

We asked... and no one answered. Patch was hoping for help naming Fox Point and Bayside's best florist. While it's too late for you to chime in to help someone win, you can still give your opinion by leaving a rating or review on the business's directory listing. Just click the florist's name below, and you'll be taken to their page. Help readers determine which places are the best to find flowers by rating and reviewing the business on their Patch Directory page (links below), or by commenting on this article.  Are we missing your favorite? Let us know!

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Bayside Florist Sees Boost in Holiday Sales

Despite the struggling industry, one Bayside florist saw an increase in sales compared to other Valentine’s Days.

It looks like more Bayside residents had a Valentine this year compared to last, because holiday sales at a local florist are up compared to previous years. Maybe it was more Valentines, or that the holiday actually fell on a weekday this year potentially sparking more office deliveries. Either way, owner of Bayside Floral Design and Bayside Garden Center, Steve Kolowith, said he’s happy with the small wintertime boost. “Sales were up probably 10 or 12 percent over last year,” said Kolowith at Bayside Garden Center.  “But it may have just been the day of the week.  Last year Valentine’s Day was on a Sunday.  For us, that’s the worst possible day because people are home and don’t send flowers to the office. We expected sales to be up a bit …

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