We have been joining our voices with many other groups and individuals in the community to call on the County Board to take their time and make sure that if they have to sell the county grounds, that it is done with the Monarch Trail in mind.
We have also been pushing for UW-Milwaukee to reconsider their poorly thought out plan to expand their compass, which is a good thing, at the county grounds, which is a bad thing, not only for the Monarchs, but for the school and for the community.
Our voices have apparently not gone unnoticed.
In a small victory, the County Board Committee on Economic and Community Development has tabled any action on the proposed plan since not even they had a chance to review the proposed plan, which is still as pathetic and unacceptable as the original plan that I saw last weekend.
The Daily Reporter tells of us the wise action by the Committee, as well as doing a good job to tell some of the divisiveness that this controversial plan is causing. On one hand you have the community-minded groups that are concerned about preserving as much as this land as possible, including all of its natural habitat.
On the other hand are the people that seek to gain profit, not by building the school, but more by the rest of the development that is unnecessary and completely inappropriate.
The article also has a copy of the map, but it does lose the impact when it shows all the buildings and parking structures and parking lots that they want to build, including right next to the Monarchs roosting spots.
The other bit of good news is that I have learned that the faculty senate has voted down the master plan, finding it wanting. Now if only UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago would finally listen to not only the public, but his own faculty.
But these victories were only small skirmishes that we have one while the true battle wages on around us.
The article in the Daily Reporter mentions that Supervisor Toni Clark wants to hold a special meeting before the next meeting of the entire Board on December 17, which would indicate that the Board is desperate for the money they hope that UWM will be able to come up with.
We need to keep calling the County Board Supervisors and remind them of their responsibility and their promise from years ago to preserve this vital land. Remind them that there are other options that they can use to raise the money, like letting Froedtert and Children’s Hospitals buy out of their leases, which only brings in $1 each per year. Remind them that this is not the best location for the school to expand, when there are so many better alternatives for the school to expand with. You can reach your supervisor by calling 278-4222.