Posted inColumns

Creeping Charlie

Creeping Charlie is the bane of many lawn enthusiasts, because it tends to grow no matter what you do to stop it. It has small, scalloped, dark green leaves that may turn red or purple in full sunlight, and grows in long stems along the ground. Flowers are purplish to blue. You can make positive […]

Posted inColumns

The North Avenue Dam is Gone But Not Forgotten

Most people I have asked say, “Oh, it’s been at least ten years.” Or they say, “The dam’s been out since the early nineties.” Or in some cases, “I think it came out in the late seventies.” By looking at the land on both sides of the Milwaukee River above the North Avenue bridge, it is hard to know that the dam was removed in 1997. Barely five years ago!

Posted inColumns

Green Spaces: Think Spring!

I know November is hardly spring. The cold north winds foretell the winter. But the ground usually does not freeze for quite some time, and if you have the will to dig the soil, you can bury a treasure of color and fragrance that will greet you with the return of the sun. I am talking about bulbs — Tulips, Daffodils, Hibiscus, Scilla, Crocus, Fritellaria, and a host of others can still be planted as long as you can work the soil. You may catch the benefit of buying bulbs on sale in November as well. The bulbs need to be chilled for weeks before they can spring to life again. Our winters are plenty long, and you can plant any time before hard winter freezes the soil.

Posted inNeighborhood News

Kilbourn Reservoir Park Master Plan Revisited

What would you put in a neighborhood park if you had a chance to help design it almost from scratch? That’s the question more than 30 Riverwest residents tried to answer in a meeting held October 9 at Pierce School. They met with Carrie Lewis, Superintendent of the Milwaukee Water Works, and members of Schreiber Anderson Associates, a landscape architecture firm, to help develop a new master plan for the park. An earlier plan was developed with neighborhood input in 2000.

Pictured here: grading has begun in Kilbourn Park. Mayor Norquist, Ald. Marlene Johnson-Odom, and Tom Schneider, Executive Director of COA Youth and Family Centers, all spoke at a press conference announcing the links that will be created to Riverwest and Harambee.