Should Waukesha allow amateur baseball in Frame Park?

I am taking an informal poll on Baseball in Frame Park:

Chooooo choooooo!!!!

It has now reached the point where the whining and complaining about the trains is almost more annoying than the trains themselves.  I know it sucks, but the City explained what happened and they laid out a schedule to fix it.   Writing letters and soundoff postings to the Freeman will not accomplish a thing.  Again, contact your federal representatives, Russ Feingold, Herb Kohl, and Jim Sensenbrenner, not the newspaper.

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All indications are that the Waukesha Histoirical Society and Museum are on the right track.  They now have two very skilled findraisers on staff.  However I agree with Spring City Chronicle; open the Les Paul Exhibit if you want to raise funds.

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Speaking of Spring City, he also posted a press release that Reps. Kramer and Vukmir want a special session of the legislature to repeal the minimum markup law.  I haven’t been on the same side as Bill Kramer much but I am with him on this one.  Speaking of gas prices, I saw gas for $4.69 a gallon in Chicago on Sunday.  Yikes.

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The Weekend in Waukesha organizers are looking for groups to volunteer to sell beer, soda, and food during the event. Maybe all of the Waukesha bloggers can volunteer to run the beer tent.

Yet another reason to suport amateur baseball in Frame Park

The greatest promotion EVER!

Baseball in Frame Park

Note:  The opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine only.  They do not reflect the opinions of the Special Ad Hoc Committee to Study Amateur Baseball in Frame Park.  I wanted to wait to comment on this until the Committee was done with their tasks.  The Committee held their last meeting on Wednesday, July 16, 2008 so I feel that I can now provide my insight.

Baseball is a sport that brings out arguments among fans.  Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?  Which brand of baseball, the American League with the designated hitter or the National League where the pitcher bats, is better?  What should baseball do about the Hall of Fame eligible players from the Steroid era like Rafael Palmero, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds?  Waukesha is faced with yet another baseball argument: should the City lease Frame Park’s baseball diamond area to the Northwoods League and allow them to construct grandstands, a deck, and concession areas? In the following post I hope to convince you that the answer is “yes.”

There is one consensus; everyone wants the Northwoods League to have a franchise here in Waukesha.  Even the biggest opponents to the Frame Park seem excited about the potential team in Waukesha.  I have heard more than one person state that they are 100 percent opposed to the Frame Park site but if it does happen they will likely buy season tickets.

Before the Ad Hoc Committee meetings started I rode my bike down to Frame Park to look at the baseball diamond and try and gauge how the park will be impacted.  After the committee got a glimpse of the plans, finished the study and made their recommendation to go ahead with the proposal I went back down there.  I imagined the buildings and structures they were proposing and in all honesty, this is going to have such a minimal impact on the park setting that the only time you will really notice is on the 34 game days when the park is filled with people. Baseball has been a part of Frame Park for years and years.  The addition of some bleachers and concession stands is not, contrary to what some people believe, going to ruin the park.

I would implore anyone who opposes this to first go down to City Hall and look at the proposal and see how minimal the improvements are compared with previous proposals.  Then head to Frame Park stand in the parking lot next to the field and look around.  You may come to the same realization that I did; which is that nobody hangs out in the parking lot to enjoy the park, they park there are walk to the playground or towards the river (which you cannot see from the parking lot anyway)  Once you are at the playground and the river you will barely notice the new structures.  If you are on the Riverwalk the only thing they block the view of the gas station and other businesses on White Rock and believe me, that is not a bad thing.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand why people oppose this.  They are happy with the park the way it is.  Some of them were on the Fox River Development Board and put their heart and soul into the Riverwalk and Frame Park and they fear that the improvements and the increased traffic will destroy Waukesha’s most attractive and unique park. They fear that there won’t be parking for people that want to use the playground or visit the flower gardens.  They fear that baseball fans will trash the park.  They fear the buildings will tower over the park and ruin the views.  They aren’t opposed to baseball, they just want it somewhere else

People should realize that Frame Park has a mix of active and passive recreation amenities.  There are benches and walking paths and the flower gardens for those who prefer serene settings and there is a baseball diamond, volleyball courts bike paths, and a playground for people who like active recreation.  They coexist fine and I strongly believe that adding 34 baseball games a year that are attended by 1,500 to 2,000 people will not have a negative impact on the park.  My only concern about this proposal is parking, which I will discuss later.

Opponents seem to want to keep the park to themselves and not open it to 1,500 - 2,000 more people on game days.  However the park doesn’t belong to the Fox River Development Board, it belongs to the Citizens of Waukesha.  My feeling is the more people you can attract to the parks, the better.   I think that when people use the parks they take ownership of it.  They see the value of the parks in the City and are more likely to support further park acquisition and development. There are some 68,000 people in Waukesha and I am sure that many of them rarely, if ever, go to Frame Park which is arguably the showcase park in the City.

Opponents have argued that it should go elsewhere such as at WCTC or at the Expo Center Grounds or somewhere else in the City.  Sure there may be other sites that could work.  However I would think if we are going to have something this high-profile why not have it in our best park to show it off.  Why not have it walking distance to downtown where businesses are always looking for more exposure to potential customers?  Why not have it where people can take alternative modes of transportation, such as bikes or walking, instead of putting it out somewhere like the Expo center or worse yet, WCTC where the only way to get there is by car.   I could see lots of families with kids riding their bikes or walking to the Frame Park on game days, something that wouldn’t happen at other sites.

I am not going to argue that the downtown is going to see a huge influx of customers as a result of this and I don’t think that anyone else is claiming that as well.  However this definitely isn’t going to hurt the downtown and undoubtedly some businesses, primarily bars and restaurants, will benefit.  I also see a huge opportunity for partnerships between downtown businesses and the team.   Businesses can drum up visitors by offering promotions like “Save $1 on your first drink when you bring your ticket stub for that day’s game” The team will also be selling ads at the stadium and in the programs.  What better way to get your business exposed to potential customers when you have a captive audience looking at your sign in the background of the game for 3 hours, 34 nights a year. Maybe the team can even partner with some Waukesha businesses to have food stands at the games.

Some letters to the editor and soundoff comments in the Waukesha Freeman have attempted to paint this as something that will only benefit Chad Bauer and the Northwoods Leauge but it’s the City that will benefit the most.  First off, the team will be investing more than $1 million into the improvements at the field including seating, concession and ticket booths, lights, and a field turn improvements.  These are improvements that, should the team or league fold, will still be owned by the City.  Additionally the team will take over maintenance of the field, again at no cost to taxpayers.   Also Waukesha High schools, Land O’ Lakes baseball league, and Carroll University will benefit by having a top notch facility to play in which also may attract more fans to their games.

In addition to the financial benefits, there are other positives.  The majority of people that will attend games are going to be Waukesha residents who may otherwise spend their entertainment dollars outside of the City.  People looking for things to do with their kids often leave the City to go to places like Stone Fire Pizza in New Berlin.  This will give them something affordable to do in their own City.  It will also be a unique amenity that no other City in the area has.  While it won’t be the deciding factor for residents and businesses looking for places to live or to do business, it will definitely help matters.  People and businesses are looking for quality of life amenities and this adds to the impressive list already present in Waukesha.

Opponents are trying to equate this to earlier proposals, which is misleading to the public and unfair to the Northwoods league.  One of the earlier proposals called for a 6,000-seat, $8 million three-tiered stadium complete with luxury boxes.  That proposal would have forced moving the trail closer to the river to extend the fences (the Northwoods league would leave the fences where they are).  Those proposals also would have required some public funds. I think that those would have been too big for Frame Park and in all honesty I think that a 6,000 seat stadium is way too ambitious for this area, considering all of the entertainment options present.  Furthermore the Northwoods League is an amateur league with non-paid college players on the teams.  Previous proposals were for paid minor league players.

Opponents worry about where people will park.  While this was my primary concern, information provided by the City and the Team addressed my fears.  One can look no further to Copeland Park in LaCrosse, Wisconsin for proof that parking should not be an issue. The park, home to the LaCrosse Loggers of the Northwoods League holds 3,550 people and has almost no off-street parking nearby.  People park on the streets, walk, or bike to the game. There are also parking agreements with nearby businesses.   Frame Park has a lot more parking nearby.  There are 328 spaces at Frame Park alone.  The City has an additional 600 or so spaces within walking distance.  There are over 600 private spaces that could be leased to the team on game days.  There are some 200 spaces at the State Building and over 700 at the County grounds which also could be leased to the Team.  Shuttle busses could be provided from lots that are further away from the stadium.  In fact the City identified 2,553 potential parking spaces that could be potentially used.  This doesn’t include the hundreds of on-street spaces available in close proximity to the park.  Undoubtedly there will be some confusion and problems with parking for the first couple of weeks but after people learn where they can park and what options they have I think everything will work itself out.

While this posting cannot answer whether Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of fame or whether the Designated Hitter should be abolished or what MLB should do with the players from the Steroid Era, I hope that it would convince people that the baseball field and the new structures, the playground, the walking paths, and the beautiful gardens can coexist and compliment each other.  It doesn’t have to be one or the other.  The addition of baseball 34 nights a year isn’t going to destroy Frame Park and in fact may enhance it.  But I think the most important thing to consider is that this will be a whole lot of fun for everyone and that may be the best reason of all to support this proposal.

Rays on South

After watching some of the bike race I decided to take a walk around and check on the progress of some of the new restaurants downtown.  I peeked into the window at Taylor’s People’s park and it looks like its going to be really cool in there.  There is a cool curved bar and an elevated level towards the back of the room. I was going to try and snap a picture but there were some cops walking some barefooted drunk they had taken into custody down the street and a couple of others lurking around.  I figured snapping photos of the inside of a building would draw suspicion.

I then strolled down Gaspar to check out Rays on South.  Turns out they have a website already.

The inside looks about as complete as Taylors, which means there has been significant progress, but still lots of interior work to complete.  The owners were smart and got their signage and cool banners out already so anyone driving by can see that Ray’s is coming. I think it is a classic look and I hope the inside continues the classy theme.  I cannot wait to enjoy a pint of beer and a pub burger once they open.

Sweeping the Streets: July 18, 2008

Bus ridership is up in Waukesha. I was at a stoplight next to a bus and when I looked in I was surprised to see at least 10 people on the bus…and this was at 8pm at night.

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The Soundoff is filled with train whistle complainers and people telling the complainers to shut up and buy some ear plugs.  I think the City and the Freeman has been very clear in explaining why this happened and when it will get fixed.  Complaining to the soundoff isn’t going to so squat to stop the train whistles.  Neither is calling City hall.  Everyone knows that the whistles are annoying and everyone should know that the City is working on rectifying the problem. As  I said yesterday, start calling Jim Sensenbrenner or even Russ Feingold or Herb Kohl’s offices and lay the pressure on them since its federal red-tape that is holding off getting the quiet zone reinstated.

The Soundoff also has someone who also thinks that another Pick n’ Save is not needed.   That person takes it a step further and says “I think the people of Waukesha are entitled to a different store. Give us some variety. Give us something different. Pick ’n Save has a monopoly on the food stores in Waukesha and that isn’t right. Who is approving this? Certainly not the people of Waukesha.”

I am as unenthusiastic about yet another overpriced Pick n’ Save as this person but the City cannot just say “no” to a Pick n’ Save because we don’t like them or because they have a monopoly in the City.  If a grocery store is a permitted use, any grocer can go there. I would prefer a Sendik’s since there isn’t one anywhere near us, but until Sendik’s sees Waukesha as a viable location they aren’t going to open a store here.

If you’ll recall the Town of Brookfield recently told an Aldi’s that they didn’t want them in the former Gander Mountain building because of the negative stigma that they thought an Aldi would bring to their community.  They told the developer they wanted a Trader Joe’s, which interestingly is owned by Aldi.   Well I think someone must have told the Town that they couldn’t prohibit a business because of the name on the building.  If you allow one grocier, you need to allow them all.  Of course by the time the next meeing rolled around Brookfield welcomed Aldi to their community.

So as much as nobody wants to see another Pick n’ Save, there isn’t a thing the City can (or should) do to prohibit them from coming in.  The developers are sinking a ton of money into this development and the City has taken a risk by using TIF financing.  In order for the developer to pay off their loans and for the City to get increased tax base to pay off the TIF, it is imperative that this project is successful.

Sweeping The Streets: July 17, 2008

The non-paying, loser, heart attack faking a-hole is back at it (he was also busted in Wauwatosa about a month ago for pulling the same stunt).  I am surprised he hasn’t pissed off the wrong restaurant owner and had the crap kicked out of him yet.   If I owned a restaurant his face would be plastered everywhere…in the kitchen, in the dining room, at the waiter stations, and at the front door.  I would offer a free meal to any patron who spotted him just to keep him out.

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Here is some more info on the Ad Hoc Baseball meeting last night from Darryl Enriquez.

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Also, more details on the carnie stabbing. The injuries are not life threatening and should not prevent the victim from goading you into spending 50 bucks on the ring toss in order to win a giant stuffed Sponge Bob Square Pants.

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The Carl Zach memorial bike race is this weekend.  I have been down there the last two years and it is really cool to see these cyclists whipping through downtown.  I think the most exciting race is the one at the end of the day with all of the professionals.   However I think they are not having the block party this year, which is disappointing.  We went last year with a large group of friends and had a great time.

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Should Cowboy fans be able to weigh in on the Favre mess? Wigderson thinks so. I guess we all chimed in when his team signed TO or Pacman Adam Jones and we all had opinions back in the 90s when Michael Irvin was doing coke in hotel rooms with hookers and assaulting other teammates. I think he is hoping Favre comes back because he knows that if the Packers play at Dallas in the playoffs with Favre at QB, chances are his Cowboys will win.  Aaron Rodgers, on the other hand, showed that he can play in Dallas.

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People are rightfully upset about the train whistles.  What perplexes me is that nobody is ripping the federal government who, according to the City, said it was ok to submit the application after the deadline. Why not call Jim Sensenbrenner and tell him to do something.  He’ll have a lot more clout than some City official.

Some people won’t be satisfied until someone is fired. (here too).  Seems a bit extreme to me.

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Going to be out of town for Labor Day?  Got an extra room or some space on your lawn for a tent?  Contact the Weekend In Waukesha orgainizers who will soon be posting a housing section on their website.  I already have people who want to come over so they can walk to the BoDeans secrect national rock headliner show on Sunday night.

Play Ball?

Tonight the Ad Hoc Committee to study baseball in Frame Park recommended that the City move forward with the proposal by Chad Bauer and the Northwoods League.  Since the committee’s work is completed I can now share my opinion on the matter (plus its on the record now).  I fully support the proposal because I think any negatives outweigh the positives.  I’ll expound upon my opinion in a longer post in the coming days.

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Drove by the Obama campaign headquarters before the meeting.  Looked like there was a handful of supporters in there along with a Channel 4 truck out front.

Sweeping the Streets: July 16, 2008

It wouldn’t be carnival season without some carnie on carnie crime.    Reports that the weapon in question was broken piece of a Def Leppard mirror have not been confirmed.

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Every time I walk by this house with my dog I think about how much it would suck to live this close to the tracks…and that was before the horns.

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Obama’s Waukesha office is having an opening party today at 4:30pm. The office is at 804 N. Grand Avenue in downtown Waukesha (next door to the Business Improvement District office).

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Many of you have probably noticed that I am again blogging my stupid opinions. I wanted to turn this site into more of a promotional thing for downtown but then I realized two things: 1) It would take a lot more effort that I feel like I want to take on and 2) It was really boring to write and even more boring to read (and my readership dwindled.)  I guess I was suffering from blog burnout.  It happens every few months and it will happen again I am sure.

Favre rally sputters

The blowhards that are organizing the Bring Back Brett rallies better step up their game.  ESPN reports that they only had 30 people at the rally at State Fair Park last night.  I have a hunch that the next one at Lambeau will be smaller than last Sunday’s too.  Most intelligent fans realize that the minute a franchise lets the fans decide personnel moves is the minute they are doomed to failure. Plus people are growing sick of Favre’s “woe is me” bs.