Kremer Project Could Get 2nd Look

Village President Bob Bradley isn't making any promises on whether or not the scope of the work in the Kremer subdivision will change. But, he is promising to take a comprehensive look into residents' concerns and how they weigh out against the scope of the project.

Work in the subdivision - which stretches roughly from Douglas to the west to Charles to the east, and 4-Mile to the north and Ellis Avenue to the south - is designed to replace sewer and water lines before widening roads and adding curb and gutter.

On April 8, trustees approved a contract with Globe Contractors of Pewaukee to do the work. Their bid came in at $6,456,125.50, but the village does have some time to make changes to the work without incurring a penalty.

Walter Pelke has lived on Ellis Avenue for 36 years, and he is against anything more than the sewer and water work. He told Patch that widening the roads and adding curb and gutter is too costly in a neighborhood that can't afford the assessment to pay for it all.

Assessments have not yet been determined, but early estimates put the cost per lot at around $5,300.

"I have no problem with the sewer work, but my number one concern is the cost," he said. "My opinion is (the village) wants every neighborhood to look the same, but they haven't listened to the residents who live here."

To help make the point, Pelke said he gathered signatures on a petition from a majority of the homeowners in the neighborhood that states their opposition to making the streets wider and adding the curb and gutter.

The petition is part of what Bradley is researching.

"I am investigating what can be done by looking into the petition and whether or not it reaches the level of a proper protest petition," he said. "I also want to have additional conversations with our village administrator, the public works department and then with the Kremer residents again."

A protest petition doesn't necessarily halt any action the village board might take, but it can place a super majority burden on trustees, requiring no less than a 5-2 vote instead of a simple 4-3 vote.

Dennis Walker is also against anything more than the sewer work, and he appreciates the extra steps Bradley is taking to address the situation.

"I talked to Bob after the (April 16) meeting and he said would look into (the matter), and I believe him," he said.

But Troy Schmidt doesn't have a problem with the scope of the entire project. He said after working in sewer and water for so many years, he understands why village officials want to go with such a large scope.

"It all comes down to cost for the village in the long run," he said. "This same project was proposed 20 years ago and it was voted down when the costs would have been half of what they are now. If we wait 10 more years, what kind of cost will we look at then?"

Schmidt owns two lots so he's looking at a double assessment, and he's fine with widening the roads and the addition of curb and gutter. He draws the line, though, at sidewalks.

"We don't want to look like a city neighborhood," he said.

Not looking like nearby urban neighborhoods is part of Walker's argument. He doesn't buy Trustee Kevin Wanggaard's assertion that the board has to consider not just current residents, but the village's future residents and what's best for the majority of both.

"People move here because we don't have curb and gutter," he said. "People don't want this neighborhood to look like a city, and it will be like that in 10 to 15 years, too."

Bradley said he's hoping to have more facts at his fingertips by early next week so he can have a more detailed response to residents' concerns. 

"I'm not going to leave them hanging," he said.