WEAL opposes proposed Frame Park stadium

The Waukesha Environment Action League also opposes the proposed stadium at Frame Park. The press release is not yet up on their website:
WEAL Joins Others in Opposition to Frame Park Baseball Stadium

August 11, 2008
Waukesha, WI. Today the Waukesha County Environmental Action League (WEAL) announced that it will join an increasing number of others in Waukesha in opposition to the proposed 1600 seat baseball stadium in Frame Park. WEAL a non-profit volunteer environmental advocacy organization works to protect Waukesha County's natural environment. The group's interim president, Allen Stasiewski, stated that "Frame Park is an environmental jewel in the middle of the city of Waukesha. It's recently been restored and we feel this commercial development's scale and scope will overwhelm the environmental attributes of the park."

WEAL feels that Frame Park belongs to all the people of Waukesha and a portion of it should not be turned over to a commercial operation like this. This stadium is not in keeping with the goals of what an urban park should be; open, accessible, peaceful, and green. In fact, WEAL feels this new stadium will make Frame Park harder to use, less accessible, noisier and less peaceful, with more concrete and steel, and less grass and trees. The existing baseball field in the Park adds to its charm, a larger stadium will not. Frame Park has a unique location on the Fox River and its gardens and open space are too valuable to risk. Parking problems, noise, litter, landscape changes, and increased drinking will all work to the detriment of the Park.

WEAL's position is that Frame Park should not be the site of this proposed stadium. Park and open space is important to people and this stadium would detract from this. Once the stadium is built it will never revert to open space parkland again. Baseball is an important part of Waukesha County's culture and other sites should be studied for this stadium. WEAL agrees with others that the Waukesha County Expo site would be a much better site for this stadium.

“A Stroll for Preservation” will take place in Frame Park Thurdsay evening at 7:00 PM. The general public is invited to come to Frame Park and show their desire to keep the park free from becoming a commercial development and preserve it for future generations.

Blame WEAL

Laurel Walker in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that the battle over building a baseball stadium at Frame Park may have been lost long ago, and it's WEAL's fault.

Back when the Fox River Development Board was trying to raise money and improve Frame Park and the Fox River parkway step by step, it started with the showy Barstow Plaza adjoining Frame Park. In 1992, the Waukesha County Environmental Action League challenged the city's right to put a dragonfly sculpture and a fountain in the navigable river, which the group believed should remain natural and unimpeded.

The case went to a state administrative law judge who, more than a year later, sided with the city. The art is a popular attraction.

But the fight took something out of the Fox River Development Board, one former member recently told me. The Frame Park development plan called for eliminating the baseball field used by local high schools, colleges and community leagues - but its removal was a big bone of contention in the community. The board, which still had a big chore ahead, couldn't stomach another fight and delay, the member said.

Technorati Tags: Frame Park, Northwoods Baseball, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Laurel Walker, Waukesha County Environmental Action League

Arguing with the sleep-deprived

I like Pete Kennedy. I've spoken to him a couple of times and he even interviewed me once to find out why I don't like opinionated children (children should be seen and not heard).

I think Pete gave into his sleep deprivation this week when he accused the Waukesha Taxpayers League of getting in front of the Frame Park issue becuase it's popular.

It's popular? Really? Judging from what some of the aldermen have said, the issue is pretty close. Some even claim there is more support for the stadium than opposed, and those opposed are just a noisy minority. Heck, one of the Sound Off callers yesterday claimed that all of his/her friends and everyone met on the street are in favor of it.

I don't know if it's popular or not. We could have a referendum on the issue, preferably on the September Primary. Then we would know for sure.

Pete's "evidence" that the WTL took the position just to be popular is the timing of their opposition. They waited until after there was a concrete proposal (pun intended) to the city. What Pete neglects to mention is everyone else that waited to see what was actually proposed, including me. I guess we're all opportunists, too.

And then, in the most bizarre comment of his column, he questions if the Waukesha Environmental Action League is really opposed to the proposed stadium because they neglected to put their press release on their site. Apparently when the WEAL mailed (you know, stamps, envelopes, federal government) their press releases, they forgot to mail one to Pete.

But I know Pete is a devoted reader of this site, so while he may have missed the WEAL press release in the Waukesha Freeman, surely he saw it printed in its entirety here.

Pete wonders how the WTL could have two seemingly contradictory positions. They're not. Building the stadium is a lose-lose-lose situation. If the team fails, two things could happen. Either the community will be committed to making the team succeed and taxpayers will be on the hook for some "needed improvement" to make the team work, or the city will be stuck with a "white elephant" - an eyesore that will suck more out of the city coffers to maintain that never belonged there. If the team is successful, the park will be off-limits to the community, the stadium will need to expand, and the surrounding community will be disrupted.

If the stadium's proponents would take a little more time to study the situation, perhaps a more suitable location would be found (perhaps the old Sentry downtown or the Expo center, or modify one of the ballfields at the sports complex). Unfortunately, this is being rammed through with little thought.

Of course, if Pete had waited a little bit, say until there was an actual proposal moving through the government, before he initially wrote in favor of the proposal, he would have seen these issues. Next time he should really sleep on it before he questions the motives of the WTL.

97th Assembly Update

Ruth Page Jones is sending out a last minute mailer with an endorsement from Waukesha Mayor Larry Nelson. I haven't seen it yet, so I don't know what color Crocs he's wearing.

Maybe if WEAL (Schmuki's organization) hadn't been such a thorn in the mayor's hide, the mayor might have stayed out of the race.