It's Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's new favorite word -- Renaissance.
The city is undergoing a renaissance.
When the U.S. Census Bureau decided to adjust its ESTIMATE of Milwaukee's population by adding nearly 30,000 residents, Barrett called the increase a sign of Milwaukee's renaissance.
He said:
"What this shows is there is really a renaissance going on in Milwaukee and people are coming here," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. "I think it is part of the energy that we have in the city right now, the positive energy."
He's using the term "renaissance" again, referring to Milwaukee's new railroad depot, the "Milwaukee Intermodal Station."
Whitney Gould calls it a "gleaming gem."
I hope no artwork from Nazi era painters adorns its walls. That "gleaming gem" will turn into an eyesore in Gould's mind.
The spectacular Milwaukee Intermodal Station comes at a price to taxpayers. Barrett pushed for it.
The project was made possible with $6 million in tax-incremental financing from the city, an investment that will be paid back in increased property values; $2.9 million from Wilton Partners, a development firm; and $8 million in federal and state funds administered by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
A cheaper, blander remake had been in the works until city officials, led by Mayor Tom Barrett, Planning Director Bob Greenstreet and Ald. Bob Bauman, kicked up a fuss and agitated for something more befitting a city gateway for some 1.4 million passengers a year. Now, with the two upper floors slated to become private offices and headquarters for the DOT's statewide traffic operations, the station is finally poised to become an important player in downtown renewal.
As Barrett told me, "It's symbolic of the renaissance taking place in the city itself."
A beautiful structure is important to the city's renewal.
More important is making the city a tax-friendly place and welcoming to new businesses.
And getting gangs and crime under control is important.
There's a gang war going on just a couple of miles south of the "gleaming gem," the gateway to Milwaukee's visitors.
I think Milwaukee has a long, long way to go.
2 comments:
I'm not sure what he's even talking about. If you go to the US Census site, Milwaukee County has been on a steady decline sine the year 2000. There were roughly 3,000 less people in the county as of 7/1/06 than there were 7/1/05 . . . and a 25,000 drop since 2000. Yet, we're to believe Milwaukee gained 30,000?
This is the Barrett way, though. Inflate or distort what the numbers actually mean. He's done this before.
The population numbers are an ESTIMATE.
Using an ESTIMATE as proof of a renaissance is pretty shaky.
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