Call to Oppose Freeway Expansion

Dear Fellow Supporters of Our Great City,

Today John Norquist made an urgent appeal to a group of historic preservationists and city officials, calling for a mass mobilization of Milwaukeeans and near-in "vintage" suburbanites, e.g. Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Cudahy, West Allies, etc.(pre WWII metro area) against the freeway expansion boondoggle for far out suburban developer interests.

The Mayor basically said historic preservation and neighborhood development may be dealt a staggering blow if the freeway expansion succeeds. Thousands of jobs would be lost in the City because of new mega malls in the sprawling far out suburbs. Small old city businesses would be undermined further with freeways inviting more distant shopping and office parks denying elegant in-city buildings white collar tenants.

If anyone would like to meet with Norquist or some of his associates to plan a strategy to mobilize opposition to the freeway expansion, please let me know. Call 406 2237 or just write back.

I don't have the energy to further discuss today's meeting other than to say that there are many, many reasons to establish good lines of communication between historic preservationists, elected officials, government administrators, community activists, planners, educators, realtors, artisans, and attorneys.

I for one would welcome a once a month meeting with people in City Government to oppose the highway expansion, to foster the historic preservation, restoration, and neighborhood movements. They are "movements" if we keep on moving.

Clear sailing,
save the old city,
remember Lloyd Barbee,

Jim Godsil

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Dear Friends of Our Great City,

Please lobby your county supervisor to oppose freeway expansion. Below are two short statements explaining how terrible it would be for Milwaukee.

Please call me at 406 2237 or e-mail if you would like to help, modestly, like simply making one or two phone calls or sending me the e-mail address of a few of your friends who will make a phone call or two. A victory here would ripple through the decades and make Milwaukee a very unique and special city, with dozens of intact pre-WW II neighborhoods, and revitalized commercial strips like Brady now, KK in 10 years, MLK half now, etc

Godsil


----- Original Message -----
From: cmtyroof@execpc.com
To: Lynne DeBruin ; Paul Cesarz ; Thomas Bailey ; Peter Agnos ; Gerry Broderick ; Joe Davis ; James White ; Tim Johnson ; Sheila Aldrich ; Mark Borkowski ; Elizabeth Coggs-Jones ; Daniel Diliberti ; Bud Endries ; Lee Holloway ; Robert Krug ; Lori Lutzka ; Michael Mayo ; Ryan McCue ; Rob McDonald ; Richard Nyklewicz Jr. ; Roger Quindel ; Jim Schmitt ; John Weishan, Jr. ; T. Anthony Zielinski

Sent: Friday, January 24, 2003 6:02 PM

Subject: Fight Freeway Lobby's $6 Billion Pillage of Milwaukee: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 6th, at the Washington Park Senior Center, 4420 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee.

Dear Esteemed County Supervisor

Please let us know where you stand on the freeway expansion issue. If you are undecided, please read the following.

***

Yesterday John Norquist made an urgent appeal to a group of historic preservationists and city officials, calling for a mass mobilization of Milwaukeeans and near-in "vintage" suburbanites, e.g. Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Cudahy, West Allies, etc.(pre WWII metro area) against the freeway expansion boondoggle for far out suburban developer interests.

The Mayor basically said historic preservation and neighborhood development may be dealt a staggering blow if the freeway expansion succeeds. Thousands of jobs would be lost in the City because of new mega malls in the sprawling far out suburbs. Small old city businesses would be undermined further with freeways inviting more distant shopping and office parks denying elegant in-city buildings white collar tenants.

This is a summary provided by the Mayor's office(which I asked for) that provides some of the main points behind the anti-freeway movement in Milwaukee. If you are going to vote against this expansion, which we hope, might you let us know? If you are going to support to expansion, might you let us know that too. And, if you have not yet decided yet, might you share that with us.

(l) Milwaukee would lose 600 acres of land, 216 homes, and 31 businesses, mostly in Milwaukee

(2) 6 to 10 lane highways, only to become equally congested not too far into the future

(3) 37.1 new miles of ugly sound barriers to mitigate noise and visual pollution.

(4) Neighborhoods near the widenings will see degraded air quality and increased noise. Story Hill area may have 10 lanes!

(5) Wisconsin gas taxes, already the second-highest in the country, would have to be raised more than 30%, and other fees and taxes would skyrocket to cover the currently unfunded costs.

(6) The plan does not commit one penny to transit. It is a highway-expansion plan only.

(7) SEWRPC is a non-elected body of 21 commissioners, none of whom is a minority, and none of whom represent the City of Milwaukee

(8) There is a list of supervisors' email addresses on the excellent Story Hill Neighborhood Association online newsletter, www.storyhill.net



It is vital that people opposed to adding 127 miles of new freeway lanes in the area - - with the heaviest losses of homes, businesses, air quality and property falling disproportionately in Milwaukee - - speak out in opposition at the final and most crucial public hearing on the plan.

The hearing - - before the entire Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors- - will take place at at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 6 in the Washington Park Senior Center.

If the board approves the plan as proposed by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), all seven area counties will be on record supporting the spending of $6.25 billion in public funds during the next 25 years to expand all four-lane highways in the region to six or eight lanes, and on the West side at Story Hill up to ten lanes.

Wisconsin gas taxes, already the second-highest in the country, would have to be raised more than 30%, and other fees and taxes would skyrocket to cover the currently unfunded costs. 600 acres of land, 216 homes, 31 businesses, the Milwaukee County Courthouse Annex and other properties would be torn down to accommodate the highway widenings.

Neighborhoods near the widenings will see degraded air quality and increased noise - - the plan calls for the construction of 37.1 new miles of ugly sound barriers to mitigate noise and visual pollution.

The plan does not commit one penny to transit. It is a highway-expansion plan only.

The major beneficiaries of this added construction - - in addition to the road-building lobby - - would purportedly be suburbanites. Their commute times would be shortened by a few minutes - - until the sprawl and traffic induced by the expansion produces more congestion farther out into smaller towns and rural areas.

SEWRPC held hearings on the plan last spring. Despite overwhelming opposition, it moved the plan forward. SEWRPC is a non-elected body of 21 commissioners, none of whom is a minority, and none of whom represent the City of Milwaukee. The discriminatory nature of the commission, its plans and its procedures are additional reasons to oppose the freeway widenings.

Please recruit your friends allies to attend the hearing, register your opposition and let your County Board supervisor know now that you want a "no" vote by Milwaukee County.

There is a list of supervisors' email addresses on the excellent Story Hill Neighborhood Association online newsletter, www.storyhill.net

After clicking on the site, go to "hood happenings," and the SEWRPC plan archives.

Thank you for your assistance.

Note: We are hoping to enlist new activists for this cause. Please send me the names and e-mail addresses of from 1 to 5 of your friends who would like to help make Milwaukee famous for the quality of its neighborhoods.

Godsil
Organizer, Milwaukee Preservation Network
President, Community Roofing, Inc.