In a last ditch effort, new site quickly becomes new playground location
Last night, the Common Council had their second Special meeting this week. While the meeting covered a recap of Mayor Olson's meeting with Milwaukee County, a new location with the blessing of Kayla's Krew's founder rapidly rose to the top. In doing so, not only was Froemming Park eliminated from further interest for Kayla's Playground, but all other park sites were bumped out also.
The new location? Franklin Woods near at roughly 36th & Puetz.
"The Woods", as some call it, is barely marked along a portion of Puetz Road that still reminds people of what Franklin was before it rapidly grew into an inner ring suburb of Milwaukee. The road's width is still that of standards for rural roads, something that Franklin was full of decades ago. Kayla's Playground will be tucked away in a portion of the Woods that's clear of trees and has a "simple" existing playground along with a small parking lot.
Despite several Milwaukee County Supervisors penning support letters for a strong cooperative effort at Froemming Park, and committing to the timetable Kayla's Krew was demanding, Mayor Olson continued to express doubt that the County Board would approve of the plan in time. Olson stated that if this occurred 18 months ago, there would be no concern from him regarding getting this project done in time. However, with the deadline set by Kayla's Krew closing in, the confidence wasn't on Olson's side.
Council President Kristen Wilhelm, along with Aldermen Doug Schmidt and Susanne Mayer, appreciated the County Supervisors' input and stood by the positive steps as a sign of good faith by them towards the city.
Unfortunately for them, Alderwoman Janet Evans, who is under a threat of being recalled from office, didn't agree with that perspective. Instead, she made a motion to make Franklin Woods the site for Kayla's Playground. No mention of Froemming Park as a possible site was in the motion. It was then quickly seconded by Alderman Dan Mayer, who previously supported the Froemming Park site but stated to the Council, "(Franklin Woods) is what (Michelle Runte) wants." This was the basis of his support for Franklin Woods.
On those feelings, the Council voted 3 YES (Alderman Mark Dandrea supported D. Mayer and Evans) and 3 ABSTAINS. Council President Wilhelm and Aldermen Schmidt and Mayer based their abstension vote on the lack of solid financial data on the Franklin Woods site. The figures presented by the city were rough estimates, and several parts of the project were questioned as not being comparable to what could be present or built at Froemming Park.
After a long break as City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski reviewed state statutes and legal decisions regarding what to do in case of a 3-0-3 vote, it was ruled by Wesolowski that, in fact, the 3 YES votes count, the Mayor can't nor didn't need to cast a deciding vote, and the 3 YES votes mean the motion passed.
The general consensus among the aldermen, both for and questionable on Franklin Woods, was that The Woods was NOT the top site choice to be had. But for those in favor, it came down to The Woods being a city park.