WEAL

One of our biggest Bypass battles is not against the DOT, although that is a pretty big battle.  It's against the fast pace of our lives and how busy we all are.  It's also against apathy and inattention!  We know that there are Waukesha residents out there who would join our coalition, but who probably haven't had the time, or the energy to pay much attention to the Bypass issue...life just gets in the way sometimes! 

So this Thursday evening at 5:30 pm until 6:30 pm we will begin another phase of our Bypass fight...a Yard Sign awareness effort!  Starting Thursday and over the next few months we hope to get enough yard signs out there to get people's attention, to get folks to notice, and to ask questions about this terrible highway expansion!  What it will do to our neighborhoods, our environment, and our community.  Its also a way to let Bypass planners and politicians know that we're not going away!

So join us, for a "No Bypass" Sign Rally on Thursday at 5:30 on the corner of Meadowbrook Rd and Woodridge and pick up your own "No Bypass" Yard Sign.   It'll be quite an informal rally really, more just a gathering.   We'll have our No Build, Improve" petition available for those who haven't signed it yet, sign up coalition members and collect e-mails, and most importantly, distribute "No Bypass" Yard Signs.  Members of our Coalition Steering team will be available to answer any questions you might have as well.

Encourage your friends and neighbors to come, especially those who haven't had the time to join our coalition!  

"No Bypass" Sign Rally
Thursday May 23rd, 2013
5:30 pm until 6:30 pm
Meadowbrook Rd and Woodridge
(Park on Woodridge if driving) 
Join us, pick up a yard sign -  choose to be an active part of this fight!


Oh, wonder what the yard signs look like?  We've already placed a few along the north section of the proposed Bypass route...sort of a sneak preview.  If you drive Meadowbrook Rd. see if you can spot one, but please drive carefully!

Questions?  Call Allen at 414-507-8358

The Department of Natural Resources is requesting Natural Resource Board approval of two large properties for the Paradise Valley Wildlife Area at their May 22 meeting.

cell: (262) 364-7581
fax: (262) 574-2117
timothy.lizotte@wisconsin.gov

Dear West Waukesha Bypass Opponent,

We have received information that the Bypass planners are completing the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).  It appears that the Pebble Creek West Alternative has been chosen (ebven closer to Pebble Creek than the Far West Alternative that was being proposed) and the the FEIS will be submitted to the County and other agencies at the end of May.  This doesn't damper our enthusiasm that we can defeat this project!   So please don't let it stop You!   Please pass this message on to any neighborhood or organization e-ail lists you maintain!

I also wanted to let you know that tonight the Coalition Opposed to the West Waukesha Bypass submitted a complaint to the Office of Inspector General (OIG).  Our complaint focuses primarily on Waste and Abuse of Federal Highway Funding Programs related to the Draft Environmental Imp[act Statement and the Public Hearing Process. 

Also, watch for our "Bypass Yard Sign" program announcement soon!


Take Action Message #2

Write an e-mail or letter to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) asking them to withdraw funding for the West Waukesha Bypass.  The FHWA is one of the most important "approving" bodies for the Bypass.  They are both part of the planning and a holder of the "purse strings".  So our goal at this time to to ask the FHWA to withdraw funding of the Bypass by targeting three areas; 1)purpose & need statement, 2) range of alternatives, and 3) the selection of the Pebble Creek West Alternative. 

Please write and submit your comments by May 26th to:

Wisconsin Division
525 Junction Road, Suite 8000
Madison, Wisconsin 53717
Phone (608) 829–7500
Fax (608) 829–7526
E–Mail: Wisconsin.FHWA@dot.gov  

Please cc all e-mails to execsecretariat.fhwa@fhwa.dot.gov



Some Points To Make:

• This expensive highway expansion project is unneeded and a waste of $65+ million of taxpayers money.
• We cannot afford to pay for maintenance of highways already built and we should not build new ones until maintenance needs have been taken care of.
• Range of Alternatives
• A "No Build. Improve" option was never seriously considered.  Only "Build" or "No Build" options.  Everyone agrees that some improvements can be made in the route, but because "Improve" was not an option, planners forced people to choose "Build".  This created a false impression that people support this project!
• Selection of Pebble Creek West
• One of the worst environmental impacts of this project is the decision by planners to build this project through the valuable Pebble Creek Environmental Corridor.   
• Regardless of the "rationale" for this decision it is clear that planners never intended the final route to be anything other than this.  This highway will carve a destructive path through the Pebble Creek Watershed and cause negative impacts forever. The County's own plans intended this area to be protected!
  
• The Draft Environmental Impact Statement's "Purpose and Need Statement" is flawed.  Here is the "Statement" broken down and the reason each is flawed.
  
• "Complete the long-planned circumferential route around Waukesha."
• The planners state that this project is no longer a Bypass project, then how can this be used as a Purpose?
• "Accommodate growing traffic volumes"
• Traffic was studied for a minimal time.  Traffic volumes are based primarily on projections which do not consider high gas prices, fewer miles driven by people today, and other nearby highway expansion projects.
• "Improve tight curves, steep hills, narrow lanes, and lack of shoulders."
• This is a huge misstatement intended to make it sound like the Hwy TT route is terribly unsafe.  Anyone who drives this route would disagree.  There is perhaps one unsafe hill at Madison Street that could be repaired.  Spending $65 million on this route is a terrible waste of taxpayers money!
  
• "Provide a safe and efficient north-south arterial roadway on the west side of Waukesha"
• There are are already two safe routes; Hwy 83 which is being expanded to 4-lanes right now and St Paul Ave, which was recently improved.   
• This statement implies that TT is not safe which is untrue - No deaths and minimal accidents, of which most are minor fender benders due to inattention at stop lights.
  
  

Our highway cleanup went well this last Saturday.  Beautiful weather helped make it so.  As always happens in the Spring, our road segment was full of litter.  Lots of soda and, I can't really understand this, "Got MIlk" plastic bottles.  Who throws milk cartons out their car window???  We collected 7 bags of garbage.  Special thanks to Bill and Tom for helping out this time!

Dear West Waukesha Bypass Opponent,

After the Public Hearing process last December, many of you have asked "what can I do now?"  Well its time to get active again!   We are ramping up our fight against the West Waukesha Bypass at this time.  The final Environmental Impact Statement is due early this summer and we need to let our legislators and the planners know that we will not be going away! 

Approximately every two to three weeks we will be sending out a "Take Action" e-mail message like this first one one below.  These messages will be short and to the point.  They will include all the information you need to Take Action to help stop the West Waukesha Bypass expansion.

Take Action Message #1

Write an e-mail or letter to each of the members of the Joint Finance Committee.   The committee has been holding hearings around the State and we need to let them know that they can save the State a lot of money.  Unfortunately, you will need to e-mail each legislator below individually.  You should be able to go to each legislators website and copy and past his/her e-mail into your address field.  Please don't just delete this e-mail.  If you can't send multiple e-mails send just one!  Each and every e-mail will make a difference!   The links below will take you to each legislators website.  Most if not all will have an e-mail listed. 

Some Points To Make:

• The Committee can save $40.1 million (The State's share of total costs) by recommending removal of funding for the West Waukesha Bypass in 2015 & 2016. 
  
• We cannot afford to fix the roads we have much less build new lanes!  We have to stop spending so much on new highways.
  
• There is overwhelming citizen opposition to the West Waukesha Bypass.
• The State has many priorities and all areas must share in the cuts, including the DOT for highway building.
  
• The Town of Waukesha considers the project's Memorandum of Understanding invalid because it was never approved by the Waukesha Town Board.  The Town of Waukesha has officially adopted a "No Build" position.  Much of the project is located in the Town of Waukesha.
  
• The project was mapped 60 years ago as a Bypass around the west side of Waukesha, but it is no longer a Bypass.  Planners address this fact in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (dEIS).  Yet the entire dEIS is written based on Bypass standards.
• Legislators to read the public comments at the
  West Waukesha Bypass website.
  

Here's a sample letter.  Please make it your own by adding the problems you have with the project, but keep your e-mail shorter rather than longer.

Dear (Senator Representative), I understand that you are working right now on the State of Wisconsin's budget, and that you are looking for the public's input.  I would like to propose an opportunity to save the State a lot of money.  I'm writing to ask that you remove the West Waukesha Bypass from the State's 2015/2016 transportation budget.  This project is a waste of taxpayers money.  It is no longer a Bypass.  It's a local road project that doesn't deserve the State's $40 million contribution ($55 million total).  There is no doubt, based on the Public Hearings held in December 2012  that this project will run over budget and additional funds will be required.  The Planners have promised, 1) a bridge through the Pebble Creek Environmental Corridor, 2) Noise barriers in several sections, 3) A pedestrian bridge from neighborhoods on the west side of the highway to a grade school adjacent to the project, 4) a bridge over railroad tracks and glacial Drumlin BikeTrail.  These are just a few of the examples of the excess costs that is being promised by this project.  Please remove the funding for this unnecessary highway expansion.  These funds could be readily diverted to any number of necessary highway infrastructure repair projects sorely needed in Wisconsin.

Sincerely

(Your name)

Another great environmental flick.  Its called Bidder 70

At Lake Country Unitarian Universalist Church in Hartland.  It's open to the public!  See the flyer for all the details!

Date: April 25, 2013 
Time: 6:45 - 9 PM
Location: Retzer Nature Center

Special Earth Week free screening of the award winning documentary Chasing Ice Chasing Ice is the story of National Geographic photographer James Balog's one man mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Balog's deployment of revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic allows the capture of a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.

His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Chasing Ice depicts a photographer trying to deliver evidence and hope to our carbon-powered planet. Film will be shown at 7:00 PM, run-time is 75 minutes. Informal discussion will follow. Popcorn and soft drinks will be available for purchase. Donations in support of our environmental documentary screening program will be gratefully accepted.

Sign up HERE!

Tomorrow (4/2/13) is election day.  We thought we'd send some information on candidate's West Waukesha Bypass positions.  Assuming that you are opposed to the West Waukesha Bypass.....

If you live in the City of Waukesha:  After reviewing the positions of aldermanic candidates we identified that there is only one candidate, Cory Payne, who has stated that he would "preserve and protect the rural areas of the city...".  This suggests that he might be supportive of a "No Build, Improve" alternative when presented with the facts and we encourage his support.

All other incumbents supported the West Waukesha Bypass. Our suggestion would be to vote against any incumbents ("inc" next to their name) since a number of new candidates expressed some Bypass reservations at a recent candidate forum.

If you live in the Town of Waukesha:  In the Town Board race.  Brian Fischer supports the West Waukesha Bypass.  His campaign literature stated that he supports the "Pebble Creek West" route.  Unfortunately he is running unopposed.  We cannot support Brian Fischer and suggest either a no-vote or write-in.

 In the race between Angie Van Scyoc and John Marek.  John Marek's position on the Bypass is unknown whereas Angie Van Scyoc voted for the "No Build" option this winter, and continues to strongly hold that position.   Angie Van Scyoc deserves our vote.

In the race between Everett German and Larry Wolf.  Everett German voted for the "No Build" option and Larry Wolf's position is unknown, although we do have some indications that he would support the current Town's "No Build" position.  We suggest that both candidates are opposed to the Bypass and either candidate would be supportive of an anti Bypass position.

The positions above were determined with the best information possible at the time this message was written.

Please Vote!

Allen Stasiewski

Coalition Opposed to the West Waukesha Bypass

Don't miss this opportunity to speak out on wildlife and naturalresource issues!

 Wisconsin Conservation Congress Election and Spring Hearing

When:  Monday April 8, 2013,7:00 pm

Where:  Waukesha County Technical College, Richard Anderson Ed. Center, 800 Main Street, Pewaukee, WI

(For Waukesha County residents)

This annual election is in EVERY county inWisconsin. You have the opportunity to vote for two delegates in every countyevery year to represent your views on natural resource and wildlife issues. Itis a citizens' advisory body to the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources andthe Natural Resources Board. Wisconsin is the ONLY state with one. If you'renot in Waukesha county, find out where YOUR vote is at   http://dnr.wi.gov/About/WCC/springhearing.html ; then click on 2013 Spring HearingLocations.

Candidates are nominated to run on the spot and the vote follows. To win adelegate must get a majority of the votes cast. Candidates sometimes win byonly a few votes, so this is a case where every vote really counts! Twodelegates are elected every year and there are five representing each county.The Wisconsin legislature often looks to this body to support bills relating tonatural resources and sometimes the Congress begins the process that leads tocreation of a new law - lets make sure it represents all Waukesha Countyresidents.

In addition to voting for delegates, you can vote on natural resource questionssuch as, "Should we expand hunting in Wisconsin state parks (#70)?"and  "Should we prohibit the use of dogs for wolf hunting(#68)." Click on the link above and then on 2013 questionnaire to read allthe questions before you vote. You can also submit your own resolution to bevoted on such as - "Should we ease environmental regulations formining?"

WEAL Highway Cleanup dates have been selected!  2013 dates are May 4, August 3, and October 26.  Reserve the dates now so you can join us!  Check WEAL's Calendar for more detailed information.