Sprawled Out: The Search for Community in the American Suburb

The diaper on the curb: This is the new community?

ABOVE: Somebody else's business.

So, I was out on my run yesterday -- beautiful weather -- and once again saw my old friend the discarded diaper.

Way back on October 27th we were buffeted by windstorms. It just so happened that these days-long winds occurred during trash collection day on a certain street in Franklin, and a garbage can disgorged a tightly wrapped disposable diaper. I saw it on the curb as I ran my route a day or two after the storms.

And then I saw it again a few days after that.

Three days later -- still there. 

A week later; hadn't budged. (Evidently a hefty, er, load.)

I took the pictures above and below today, November 8th; that's 12 days after the windstorm. At least two trash collection days have come and gone, meaning the homeowners on either side of this discarded diaper looked right at it as they placed their garbage cans by the curb -- and did nothing.

They backed out of their driveways and looked at it -- and did nothing.

What if a neighborhood kid grabs it and gets curious? Didn't seem to occur to anyone living there.

 
ABOVE: Becoming a local landmark.

Every time I passed it I considered how I might discard it myself. However, carrying a weeks-old soiled diaper a mile-and-a-quarter back to my house never seemed like a good plan.

But surely, I thought, someone on this street full of carefully manicured lawns will take the time to come out with a plastic bag and take this refuse off the street. 

Never happened.

I'd see people out for a walk with their dog and doggie-doo bags; people who pick up raw excrement as a matter of routine. They'd walk right past it.

Today on my way to Moondance for lunch I stopped with an old Target bag and picked up the discarded diaper after I took these pictures. I could feel eyes on me from the surrounding houses. Probably a bit suspicious -- though, on the other hand, their long diaper nightmare had been successfully dealt with. Call me a socialist, if you must.

The "curbside diaper" is an unfortunate visual metaphor for how insular we've become. Though there are surely subdivisions in Franklin and other suburbs that are cared for beyond each homeowner's property edge, there are far too many like this street, which you would be hard-pressed to characterize as a neighborhood. It's just a fast road with houses on either side. I see "perma-refuse" in these kinds of non-places on a regular basis. 

Perhaps they are waiting for the city to deal with these sorts of things. The same city which is cutting back municipal services because the cry has gone up that property taxes are too darn high.

But they still want a discarded diaper to magically disappear.

I feel old, because it used to be different. My dad and I used to go for long walks, and he'd pick up whatever refuse he saw -- and tell me to do the same -- and we'd deposit it with the next neighbor we saw out on the porch or out washing their car. There would be "howdys" and the unquestioning acceptance of whatever my dad and I had picked up; into the garage garbage can it would go. You didn't even have to ask -- this was our neighborhood, after all.

But, in my city, this diaper could not be budged from its position.

So, the question is this: When did we start believing that our "community" -- our responsibility --  ends at our individual driveways?

 

Dismantling a bit of the past

IMG_4107, originally uploaded by John Michlig.

The old Barg barn on 51st Street will soon be history; it appears that it's being carefully dismantled for re-use of its old timbers and planks. Click on the photo to see more shots on Flickr.

51st Street sidewalk - at long last

P1090471, originally uploaded by John Michlig.

Cement was poured and smoothed today to complete the portion of the 51st Street sidewalk located in front of the high school. Click on the photo to see a set of shots on Flickr.

The end of a grand old building

Say what you will about progress, the need to expand, etc. - - St. Paul's Church on 51st Street will be missed as a local landmark. Structures with character are few and far between in the suburbs.

I took this picture last night; it's gone now.

Sometimes nice guys finish FIRST

(Photo from FranklinNOW)

To my family, Coach Hughes is "Mr. Jim," the bus driver who gets a hug every morning from my son, Ben, when he picks him up for summer school. To everyone else in Franklin -- and the state -- he's the winningest coach in Wisconsin prep baseball history.

"Mr. Jim" surprised us by showing up at one of Ben's very first baseball games after he learned that he was participating in the Challenger League, a baseball program for kids with special needs. After circling the bases, my son got a high-five from the winningest baseball coach in the state, and one of the nicest bus drivers in the world.

Congratulations, Coach! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. 

The number was 743. The significance was that it was the number of career victories Franklin coach Jim Hughes had moved to that night, moving him past former Arrowhead coach Tim O'Driscoll's 742 and into first place as the winningest coach in Wisconsin high school baseball history.

"I mean, how many 20-win seasons is that. Thirty?" Kleszczynski said. "Those are big numbers. Hats off to Jim. He gets his guys to win ball games. He's a good coach."

Hughes called the victory just another game, but acknowledged that he didn't get to 743 on his own.

"You just keep coaching," he said. "I've been around a long time. I've been lucky. I've got good players all the time and we win a number of games each year, you've got to have that as well. And right here, we've got outstanding parents. I've got real good parent support. You put all that together, my family support, and I'm a pretty lucky guy."

A handful of parents presented Hughes and his players with a cake with the number 743 on it and a player gave Hughes a game ball after the victory.

Read the rest at: Historic win keeps Sabers alive - FranklinNOW

Skipping Superman to ensure a connected community

ABOVE: 51st Street, pre-sidewalk

I arrived at last night's Common Council meeting fresh from a day at Great America with the family -- though "fresh" is not a word I could have used to describe my ragged physical state. My daughter was a bit disappointed that we had to shorten our day at the park so I could make it to a meeting, but, as I told her, Woody Allen once said that eighty percent of success is showing up, even if you show up smelling like a theme park. ("OK, Dad. But, who's Woody Allen?")

The council chamber was filled to overflow with Franklin residents who live near Puetz Road, which had been mentioned as a candidate for widening using STP (Surface Transportation Program) funds. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and Puetz will be left as is for the time being.

The long line of speakers during Citizen Comment Period gave me a chance to have a conversation with the landlord mentioned in yesterday's post right after he made his remarks regarding sidewalks on 51st Street. 

To recap: This individual, who has a rental property at the corner of 51st and Drexel, took a petition up 51st Street for signatures against sidewalks. His argument was centered on winter maintenance: Why should he and other homeowners have to shovel sidewalks? They don't want sidewalks, he claimed.

In talking to this gentleman, I learned, first of all, that he does not have a waxed handlebar mustache like a silent movie villain. In fact, he seemed entirely reasonable and listened patiently as I made my case. He was willing to compromise, though at that point his notion of compromise was a widened bike lane or expanded road shoulder. I explained to him why that was unacceptable, but also how north-south and east-west arterial routes should be treated as infrastructure by the city -- a public conveyance, just like streets -- opening up the possibility of having the city clear the walkway.

All in all, I think we came to some semblance of mutual understanding. Afterward, I made my comments to the Council and hoped for the best.

Far from being a struggle to get the first segment of 51st Street sidewalk installed, however, the Common Council was unanimous in their support for the effort to make the road traversable by bike and foot. The first segment is paid for by Community Development Block Grant funds; the Council took a closer look at other projects earmarked for CDB funds. 

Alderman Kristen Wilhelm suggested using CDG funds to create another extension of the 51st Street sidewalk -- not the entire length of the street, which would be too costly, but further north nonetheless. The Department of Administration's Mark Luberda noted that it would be difficult to get that funded since the sidewalk would not terminate anywhere specific, and the grant requires a destination or official commitment to completion.

Alderman Wilhelm (a member of the Trails Committee) noted that we could possibly extend the sidewalk further to Minnesota Ave., which then allows access to Pleasant View Elementary (located to the east). Turns out the length of that segment would be nearly the same as the initial segment planned for this summer. Voila! 

Alderman Tim Solomon (another member of the Trails Committee) voiced his contention that the 51st Street sidewalk is absolutely vital, and further moved for an amendment to scratch certain CDG projects (city hall sound system and fire alarm upgrades). Instead, he said, let's make additional extension of the 51st Street project the top priority with CDG funds, both this year's and next if necessary.

The motion and amendment passed unanimously -- and the 51st Street sidewalk segment project is not only securely in place but actually extended farther north to allow it to access Pleasant View Elementary. (Click the small photo at right to enlarge map.)

Terrific news - the finish line at Rawson Ave. is in sight. And, equally important, the Council demonstrated a unified commitment to taking the actions needed to make Franklin a truly connected community. It won't happen all at once, but these first steps will go a long, long way toward making Franklin hospitable to walking, biking, and the enhanced sense of sociability that comes from being "out and about."  

And, best of all, my daughter said the result was worth her having to skip the Superman Ride at Great America.

 

An inviting streetscape emerges on 51st Street: A return to human scale threatened by an off-site landlord?

ABOVE: Work being done on 51st Street

Even in roughed-out form, one can appreciate the improvement occurring along Franklin's 51st Street between Drexel and Puetz. Engineers have preserved many of the trees fronting homes along the street, and soon residents will be treated to a wonderful and useful walkway as well as increased curb appeal for their property.This is going to be a much, much more inviting space than the cracked asphalt should that it replaces.

And that's not to mention that, for the first time since it was built decades ago, Franklin High School students will have access to a sidewalk in front of their school.

Soon, the walkway will continue north of Drexel for approximately 1/3 mile, built with a Community Development Block Grant. It'll provide a way for the senior residents at Clair Meadows to stroll outside their current "boundaries," and eventually will connect to the retail area on Rawson. Eventually 51st Street -- the only north-south connection for a mile in either direction -- will at long last stop acting as a speedway and instead function as an attractive conveyance for cars and pedestrians.

A space like the one above looks so inviting because, unlike most of the suburban built environment, it's designed to human scale and creates a sense of spacial enclosure in a suburban context.

Human scale and spacial enclosure is why, for instance, we feel comfortable on foot in a city setting like the one below:

...And why we feel anything but comfortable attempting to set foot outside our vehicles in a space like the one below:

Hard as it may be to believe, many refer to the area pictured above as my city's "downtown." Yet there are simple streetscape solutions that work in a suburban context that would transform this bleak area. It can be as simple as putting the parking in back of the buildings (see below):

Tonight I'll be attending the Franklin Common Council meeting to speak during citizen's comment period is support of the 51st Street sidewalk.

Why do I have to hire a babysitter and attend this meeting? Because, believe it or not, there is a gentleman -- a landlord who owns an apartment complex on the corner of Drexel and 51st (but does not LIVE there, of course) -- who is against providing safe mobility for those in our community who do not have access to a vehicle. And he took the time to get signatures from the homeowners living on 51st Street.

You can imagine how those little "sign my petition" encounters went. "Do you know what the city is trying to do to your property...?" 

I doubt he brought up the fact that walkable communities experience experience increased property values, and that walkways actually slow down speeding traffic on overdesigned arterials like 51st Street. He probably didn't talk about new freedom of movement that will be afforded to elderly residents of the Clair Meadows senior apartments. I'm certain he didn't broach the subject of the sidewalk as safe conveyance for students and parents at Pleasant View Elementary and Franklin High School.

And, most importantly, I'm sure this landlord didn't mention that there are members of the Franklin Common Council who want nothing better than to put a lane of additional traffic in their front yard by widening 51st Street.

Doubt it? Read the ready-to-go plan here:  Download 51st street widening.

Because, you see, no one walks and we need more room for cars -- and those cars gotta move fast.

The landlord's beef, evidently, is he'll be damned if he'll be responsible for shoveling snow for "other people" (hard not to imagine  this guy twirling a waxed handlebar mustache, ala a silent movie villain).

Please consider attending tonight at 6:30, City Hall, to voice your support for a small but very important step toward making our community safer for young and old, more attractive to new residents and property tax-lowering commercial investment, and, above all, something better than a drive-thru suburb.

Storm prompts branch and brush collection

ABOVE: Lucky to lose just a couple of large branches

From FranklinNOW:

A special tree and brush collection will be taken in Franklin beginning at 7 a.m. July 1 as a result of severe thunderstorms Friday and Monday.

Tree branches must be cut to five-foot lengths and limited to a pile four feet long and four feet high. Residents with more than that can haul the material to the Public Works garage, 7979 W. Ryan Road, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday or make arrangements with a private hauler.

For information, call the Public Works Department at (414) 425-2592.

Read the rest at: Storm prompts branch and brush collection - FranklinNOW

Franklin Storm photo set on Flickr

P1080697, originally uploaded by John Michlig.

Serious storm last night - power lines and trees down in my neighborhood. Of course, living in a cul-de-sac means NO OTHER WAY OUT until the power lines are removed.

GREAT JOB by the power company, though; power restored by 2:45ish a.m., even with lines still down.

Franklin water tower panorama

Franklin water tower panorama, originally uploaded by John Michlig.

Taken during a Father's Day bike ride around town. Click to embiggen.