Dam Removal, UW-M Site Hearings Tuesday, Wednesday

There are public hearings galore in Milwaukee this week - - a big week for participatory democracy, and for the suits to hear what taxpayers and other regular folk really want.

Monday it was a DNR hearing on how to get invasive species out of Lakes Michigan and Superior.

(Solution: since the feds have been indecisive, let the Department put into place a plan to require ocean-going freighters' to flush and clean their ballast tanks without infecting the Great Lakes, and to implement additional safeguards to restore the lakes' quality.)

Then later this week, there are hearings on additional important environmental and developmental issues, including whether UW-Milwaukee should sprawl all over the County Grounds (No - - put the new UW-Milwaukee School of Engineering downtown, near Marquette University, the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and all of the city's amenities), to deciding whether to remove Estabrook Dam (Yes, of course.).

You want a restored Milwaukee River?

A preserved County Grounds?

An enhanced downtown?

Less induced traffic congesting as it moves cross-town from the main UW-Milwaukee East side campus to the County Grounds, where it makes no sense to plop down an entire college?

These decisions speak to the kind of city, county and local environment we can enjoy and pass down to the next generation - - so get involved, and speak up.

Decision-makers need to see full hearing rooms, and to hear from people expressing themnselvs.

The DNR hearing was packed Monday.

Let's do the same Tuesday and Wednesday, too.

Details on both upcoming hearings, courtesy of Riverkeeper, here.