3rd District Town Hall meeting on UWM Dorms, July 29, 2008
From the Chalk Board:
What’s the rush? Wait for Master Plan
Dorms Downtown (all)
Engineering School Dtown (all)
Protect River Corridor (all agree)
Better public Transportation
“Code of Conduct” expectations/ agreement
Chapter 17 & 18 changes * Fast
Increase Minority Enrollment – Reach out into inner city (west of Holton) Pabst, Tower Automotive
Explain how UWM is taxed
Limit size/beds as sites dictate
So Milwaukee: Drinking Overlay Zone
What is the TRUE need & timeline for beds/sites
Temporary Enrollment Cap?
Are “Buffer Zones” effective for UWM locations
Has Riverview existed long enough to judge true impact?
Adeq. Parking – it’s site dependent
Green Built
Do dorms residents get a night parking permit?
Why/what proof do they need 1,500 beds?
What about UWM’s Lake Dr. properties for dorms?
Comments from index cards:
- No moratorium on dorms! Why do we treat students like an enemy and not an asset?
- Concerns and Expectations: - Protect River corridor and viewshed -“green building” - adequate parking and public transportation - reasonable “code of conduct” expectations for students - university oversight over conduct with penalties for noncompliance -community input on location, design, and compliance
- Criteria for sit selection: It’s very important that the site be buffered from existing residential neighborhoods. Noise, litter, student foot & car traffic can be very disruptive.
- Comments and Concerns :
- Impact on environment with construction & then occupancy
- Traffic impacts, parking for residents and visitors
- Building design that will compliment the neighborhood it is built in
- Construction lead the way with “green” building materials and maintenance
- Better communication and interaction with UWM planners and neighbors in the development site/sites. Follow the vision/planning of SE WI Regional Planning Commission in preserving the river corridor.
Tuesday, July 29
7:00 pm
First public meeting
Urban Ecology Center
1500 E. Park Pl
(parking will be at a premium. please walk, bike or carpool.)
Where will UWM’s new dorms be?
- On the Milwaukee River?
- East Side?
- Brady St. area?
- Riverwest?
- Prospect Mall?
- Maryland Ave. School?
- Downtown?
- Capitol Drive?
UWM’s RFP (Request for Proposals) specified housing for 500-700 lower division students (RiverView Dorms house ~475 students).Will UWM show its commitment to our city and its residents? Is UWM using the UWM Foundation so they can bypass public process? How will the Dorms be designed? Will they be LEED certified? Will the Milwaukee River Overlay District be respected? Will the size of dorms be manageable? Is re-use of existing buildings being considered?
Come and find out more!
This is a resident-driven meeting. Alderman Nik Kovac will be attending to hear your concerns and answer questions.
We want a strong and healthy UWM, which will improve the health and vitality of our neighborhoods. Come hear the discussion and share your ideas about size, environmental impact, accountability, etc., with your neighbors and Alderman Nik Kovac.
On the agenda:
- Overview of process and how the community can get involved
- History/Impact of RiverView dorms
- Review of the Milwaukee River Overlay District
- Are there alternative locations?
- Feedback from residents (you!) on where or how to build the dorms
Tuesday, July 29
7:00 pm
UWM Dorms in our neighborhoods
First public meeting
Urban Ecology Center
1500 E. Park Pl
Sponsored by: Brady St. Area Assn., Cambridge Woods Neighborhood Assn., East Village Assn., Greenwich Village Neighborhood Assn., Mariners Neighborhood Assn., Murray Hill Neighborhood Assn., Prospect Ave. Assn., Riverside Park Neighborhood Assn., Riverwest Neighborhood Assn., Water Tower Landmark Trust and Milwaukee River Neighbors
21 Jul 2008 | 6:44 pm | Development, 3rd District | No comments yet - Add your comments
Thank You!
We did it! Thanks to your hard work, our grassroots campaign has energized the district and earned an improbable victory. Thank you to the hundreds of people who gave time, money, and good will to this inspiring effort, and thank you to the thousands of people who trusted our campaign with a vote on Tuesday.
Thank you also to Patrick Flaherty and the thousands of people who trusted his campaign with a vote. We all should reach out to Patrick and his supporters. To make this district and city better, we will need the energy, insight, and good will of everyone who lives here.
Patrick has an accomplished track record of fighting for social justice and fiscal fairness in this city. We all must continue the fight for those causes. Together we will build a better future for Milwaukee!
Nik Kovac
3 Apr 2008 | 5:31 am | 3rd District | No comments yet - Add your comments
It was a very close race. Nik gave a great speech about humbleness in serving, and reaching out to Patrick and folks in his campaign.
Nik Kovac . . . . . . . . . . 4,292 50%
Patrick Flaherty . . . . . . . 4,221 49%
The people’s power called this one in. And every vote counted.
Thank you, everyone. Each one individually, and all of us together.
Sura
2 Apr 2008 | 2:12 am | Representation, 3rd District | No comments yet - Add your comments
I’m endorsing Nik Kovac for Milwaukee 3rd District Alderman, along with Jennifer Morales and many of my other supporters. Here are just some of the reasons why:
- Nik Kovac is a leader, challenging Mike D’Amato when he was expected to run for re-election. Conversely, Patrick Flaherty told me he last year that he would only run if D’Amato stepped down.
- Nik is progressive. He’s thoughtful on big issues and I’m excited about his ability to bring a new way of thinking to politics in Milwaukee. We’re not going to solve our problems with the same kind of thinking that got us into trouble. Nik will bring us new solutions.
- Nik doesn’t waste money on massive mailings, and he promises the same wise use of our tax dollars.
- Nik has run a clean, positive campaign.
- Nik’s campaign is fueled by the people, not big money or political insiders
- Nik Kovac is smart, honest and trustworthy.
- Nik is educated and involved on local issues. He’s the only candidate that I’ve seen at neighborhood meetings, city planning meetings, development hearings, student groups, environmental meetings. He’s involved in Urban Agriculture, Food Policy, Milwaukee River Preservation, Historic Preservation, Riverwest Neighborhood Association, etc.
- Nik is Local. He was born and raised on the East Side, and he lives in Riverwest. Unlike his opponent, he’s involved in his neighborhood association, his block club, his church and volunteers teaching chess to high school students.
- Nik cares about all of Milwaukee. He attends Community Brainstormers meetings at St. Matthew’s Church on 9th and Chambers because he cares about all the problems in the city, including segregation, economic development and public education.
- Nik has committed to local campaign finance reform, which we desperately need to ensure that aldermanic races can’t be bought by the highest bidder. Votes should come because a candidate is participating in a broad range of community concerns, not just because they can afford to pour tens of thousands of dollars into a mail-blitz campaign.
- Nik is endorsed by the people: environmentalists, artists, teachers, business owners, bicyclists, LGBT community members, and those who believe that local power should remain in the hands of the people.
Please join me in supporting Nik Kovac for Milwaukee’s East Side, Riverwest and Brady St. Alderman, and vote on Tuesday, April 1. Find out where you vote here
30 Mar 2008 | 8:05 pm | 3rd District | No comments yet - Add your comments
“I know and respect Nik Kovac. He is a good friend and a true progressive.” –Vel Phillips
That’s what Vel Phillips says about Nik, who calls her one of his civic heroes. She said, “A few weeks ago, Nik asked me if he could refer to me as one of his heroes in his campaign literature. I was honored by the request. I have seen the brochure in which Nik uses my name and picture. I approve.”
I am writing this because Dominique Paul Noth, the editor of the Labor Press, got a few things wrong about Nik in a recent article. No surprise, since the Labor Council is endorsing Patrick.
But let’s get a few things straight.
Noth implies that Nik didn’t get Vel’s permission to use her name. This is untrue. As you can see from the quotes above and her hand-signed letter on Nik’s website it’s clear that Vel Phillips gave her permission, and that she is one of Nik’s supporters.
Continue reading ‘Vel Phillips on Nik Kovac - setting the record straight’
28 Mar 2008 | 11:06 am | 3rd District | No comments yet - Add your comments
I am endorsing Nik Kovac for 3rd District Alder.
I have gotten to know Nik this past year. I have seen him (and all the other candidates) in forums, I have seen him out doing doors, I have seen him in community meetings. That he and I were able to become friends during a competition speaks volumes to Nik’s ability to “play well with others.”
Nik Is a Leader
Nik Kovac has the leadership skills and the guts it takes to challenge an incumbent who negatively affects our community. He has run a clean campaign. He has not taken potshots—unsubstantiated or otherwise—at the other candidates. Nik got his votes because he did doors for 6 months, and then he did them again (and not because he had money pouring in from a political machine). He got votes because he met people, he cares about people and he educated himself on local issues. Nik got votes because he’s smart, progressive and trustworthy and people are talking about him.
Nik Is Local
In the last 7 months, I’ve seen Nik reach out to or get involved with local organizations that mean a lot to my community—the Milwaukee River Work Group, Riverwest Neighborhood Association, Milwaukee Food Policy Council, and the Milwaukee Urban Agriculture Network. He’s spoken up and gotten involved in expressing concern on Milwaukee’s racial and economic segregation, on Milwaukee’s political history, on the Historic Preservation Commission. He understands and has gotten involved in a zoning battle, attended to development concerns, goes to his block club meeting and got involved in the Safety Committee of RNA.
I have not seen Patrick Flaherty one time during this campaign at any organized meeting of neighbors that wasn’t specifically related to the campaign.
Nik Is Progressive
Nik is progressive, intelligent, and his journalist training allows him to see all sides of a story. Continue reading ‘Why I Am Endorsing Nik Kovac’
26 Feb 2008 | 10:19 am | 3rd District | No comments yet - Add your comments
