Milwaukee Releases 1st Annual Progress Report for ReFresh Milwaukee

The Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES) released the City's First Annual ReFresh Milwaukee Progress Report in December, 2014. Evaluating and tracking the City and its partners' progress toward implementing and meeting the goals and targets outlined in ReFresh Milwaukee are key components of Plan implementation as legislated by the Common Council. The Report, which can be viewed online at www.refreshmke.com, includes: scorecard charts for each Issue Area and Catalytic Project detailing overall progress made through 2014 (as of publication October 31, 2014); highlights and unexpected challenges for targets; and any additional notes on implementation to date. As 2014 is the first year for the progress report, it identifies work accomplished on developing baseline conditions for future analysis and progress tracking where relevant.

Across the eight Issue Areas and two Catalytic Projects there are 25 broad community goals with 63 targets on which to track progress. Of the 63 targets, 32 are quantifiable, 17 are to be completed by a certain date, and the remaining 14 targets are measured by whether or not implementation occurs (e.g., an event is held, certain type of legislation passes). In order to ensure that ReFresh Milwaukee implementation was robust and measurable, the Mayor's Green Team deliberately chose to develop quantifiable and date-driven targets. As a result, nearly 80% of the targets can be measured and transparently reported out. That which gets measured, gets improved.

Of the 63 targets, 5 have been achieved/completed, 42 targets have seen significant progress, 10 have seen moderate progress, there has been no progress in 3 targets, while 3 need to be modified and/or re-evaluated. As a result, in the first year of implementation 87% of all targets are seeing moderate to significant levels, and in 5 instances, target achieved/completed. The table below summarizes overall target progress in each Issue Area:

Gillespie Park is 2015 MANDI Finalist

HOME GR/OWN is pleased to announce that its Ezekiel Gillespie Park is a finalist for the MANDI's Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award recognizing public spaces that help build the community. Phase 1 of the park opened in September after construction in July and August, 2014. Award winners will be named on April 15th, 2015.

Gillespie Park is HOME GR/OWN's first complete neighborhood vacant lot revitalization. The goal is that the sustainability features, food access, and native greenery inspire, educate, and catalyze further "healthy" vacant lot rehabilitations on Milwaukee's North Side.

"It took a village" to build what may be Milwaukee's most sustainable park. Thanks to our partners Walnut Way, Simon Landscaping, Energy Exchange, UWM Community Design Solutions, Zilber Family Foundation, McKay Nursery NIDC, Whole Foods, Mark McCollow, City DPW & DCD, Reinders and the Walnut Way Housing Committee.

Permanent seating and signage will be added to the park in 2015. Educational and healthy lifestyle programming at the park is under consideration. OES is establishing an educational curriculum made available via on-site signage and online teacher materials.

Gillespie Park is located at 14th & Wright. Its features include a stormwater management system composed of interconnected porous pavement, a 1,000 gallon cistern and a rain garden. Additionally, Gillespie Park features over 15 fruit trees, 149 raspberries plants, over 25 varieties of native perennials and 62 beautiful rose bushes.

On December 23rd, 2014, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission issued its final order on the 2015-2016 We Energies rate case, largely granting the utility's requests. Despite hundreds of public comments, the Commission voted 2-1 (Chairman Phil Montgomery and Commissioner Ellen Nowak voting in favor) to approve.

• 75% Increase in the Fixed Charge. The fixed charge on all residential bills will increase from about $9 to $16 a month. The amount paid per kilowatt hour (kwh) for energy consumed is reduced one-half cent from $0.139/kwh, to $0.1349/kwh.
• Solar Surcharge Added.  All customers that invest in a renewable energy system on their own property will be required to pay We Energies $3.80 per kW per month.  For example, a homeowner who invested in an average 4 kW solar system will be required to pay $182 annually to We Energies for owning solar. (Existing solar owners, see grandfathering note below).
• Reduced Value of Solar Production. When a solar energy system produces more energy than the building needs during the sunniest times, the owner of an interconnected system automatically sells that power back to the grid to help make the community's energy sources more sustainable. The PSC approved a change in this "net metering," so WE Energies pays the solar owner $0.3 cents per kwh instead of the previous $0.14 per kwh. In effect, We Energies buys solar energy at $0.03 per kwh and can sell that same energy to other homeowners for as much as $0.197 per kwh during the peak times when solar energy is generated.
• 10 years Grandfathering of Existing Solar. Existing owners of solar systems will be grandfathered for a period of 10 years. The new solar surcharge and net metering changes will not apply to existing distributed generation owners until December 31, 2024.
• Modifications to Streetlight Tariffs.The City of Milwaukee successfully intervened on the rate case, identifying changes to street lighting tariffs that will save local tax payers up to $600,000 in 2015 and up to $1.2 million annually thereafter.

Questions? For questions on how these changes will impact you, your future bills, or your potential for installing a solar system, contact the Wisconsin Public Service Commission at (888) 816-3831. 

More than 26 vacant lots in Milwaukee will be transformed into urban orchards and pocket parks over the course of 2015 through a matching grantsecured through a partnership between the Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES) and regional philanthropies led by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation (GMF).

In addition to the $75,000 grant funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the CFDA partners GMF, the Fund for Lake Michigan, Zilber Family Foundation and Northwestern Mutual Foundation have committed matching dollars to support the project. Our major operating partners will be Growing Power (tree provider, installation) and David J. Frank Landscaping (installation staff and equipment), along with partner neighborhood groups.

The project, which includes the creation of 20 neighborhood orchards and mini-parks will increase green space; engage residents in the planning, creation and tending of orchards; and support healthy, local food production and distribution.This public/private partnership will enable the reactivation of City-owned vacant lots for sustainable development, increase healthy food access, while creating workforce development opportunities and safe, healthy neighborhood gathering spaces.
 

Milwaukee Explores Innovative Stormwater Management with BaseTern 

The City of Milwaukee is exploring cost effective and innovative approaches for managing stormwater to help neighborhoods be more resilient in the face of extreme storm events. One approach that is being studied is the so-called BaseTern (TM), an underground stormwater management or rainwater harvesting structure created from the former basement of an abandoned home that has been slated for demolition. By using this existing basement cavity, the City saves on demolition costs of the old structure and the construction of the new one. 

The structure would be underground and covered with turf to fit safely within the neighborhood. The preliminary prototypes can hold as much water as 600 hundred rain barrels! Learn more here by checking out this Feasibility Study and our FAQs.  The Department of Public Works is working with the Office of Environmental Sustainability to design and build the first BaseTern pilot project.  The BaseTern (TM) idea has received coverage on National Public Radio.