Waukesha County wants to demolish a historic Waukesha site. Here's how they plan to do it.
This photo shows the exterior of what was once the Moor Mud Baths, along Moreland Boulevard on the Waukesha County government campus. The county says it has reached an agreement with the state that could allow the county to tear down the now-vacant building if the city signs on. (Photo: Dan Sheldon)
WAUKESHA - The historic Moor Mud Baths site, the subject of an ongoing battle between the city and the county over its preservation, could soon find itself washed away by a new agreement also involving state preservation officials.
That is, if the city concurs with the agreement, which comes two weeks before Waukesha was again expected to consider whether to continue to deny the demolition of the 100-year-old property at 500 Riverview Ave.
Waukesha County announced on Monday, that it had reached a deal with the State Historic Preservation Office that, in short, would allow the once-famous health resort facility to be demolished while also cataloging and commemorating its history in various ways.
From the county's perspective, the agreement would preserve history through documentation, recording images and details of the former Mud Baths property before the building is demolished and then installing historic markers elsewhere on the campus.
From the standpoint of those who want to preserve the building itself, along Moreland Boulevard, it's a loss of history regardless.
Here's the deal
In its announcement, the county emphasized that the deal, called a memorandum of agreement, with the State Historic Preservation Office in Madison would "preserve the history of the unusable Moor Downs property" while at the same time saving tax dollars currently spent on the vacant run-down building.
"Right now, Waukesha County taxpayers are on the hook to pay millions to maintain a vacant building," said Allison Bussler, the county's public works director, in a news release. "This agreement demonstrates a better, more accessible way to preserve Moor Downs history than diverting taxpayer dollars."
The agreement isn't binding on the city, which separately must choose to go along with it.
"We hope that city elected officials understand that we want to do what’s best for everyone by both preserving important history and protecting taxpayers," Bussler added.
To preserve the property's history, the county would have to take various steps to document the history of its former Health and Human Services building:
The county would eventually demolish the building, clearing the campus site for a purpose that still isn't clear, at this point.
Real preservation?
Over the years, the preservation of the former Mud Baths building has sparked passionate debate, especially among those who strongly oppose its demolition.
The various parties include Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly, Alderman Aaron Perry, County Executive Paul Farrow and, most notably, Mary Emery, whose role as president of the Waukesha Preservation Alliance has focused heavily on the topic.
Emery said the role that the county is trying to cast for the state is inconsistent with policies that currently exist, which respect local landmark designations.
"The local landmark designation is separate, and, as a matter of fact, national registers in the state rely on those local landmark designations to protect historic properties," Emery said.
More to the point, the memorandum of agreement, spelling out the steps to county would take to "preserve" Moor Downs' history, is a contradiction at its heart, she said.
"By just putting up a picture, you are not preserving the last intact resort (in Waukesha County's history)," Emery said. "It's like you have a rare painting, so you take a picture of it, and then you destroy the painting. You are not preserving that piece of artwork."
She also reiterated, as she has done since a redevelopment proposal first became public nearly five years ago, that the county continues to ignore the potential for the property.
Emery said a developer approached the county with a proposal for senior housing and housing for developmentally disabled adults. Such a redevelopment, with an eye toward preservation of the site, would also put the property back on the tax rolls, earning revenue for the county as well as the city.
Muted city reaction
But, at least from the city's side of the debate, the conversation has been stunted as news of the county's efforts became public this week.
That's because the Waukesha Common Council is expected to serve in a judicial role on Feb. 11, when it is scheduled to hear an appeal by the county over the city's Landmarks Commission decision to deny demolition of the historic vacant building.
As a result, both Perry, who has openly discussed the issue at government meetings and on Twitter, and City Administrator Kevin Lahner declined to comment on the agreement.
But Lahner said he was attempting to independently confirm its existence so that he could ascertain what impact it would have on Waukesha's ordinances concerning historic preservation issues.
The county, in its Jan. 27 news release, hinted that the city will be forced to address ongoing cost concerns if its opts not to abide by the agreement.
"In 2001, the non-elected City of Waukesha Landmark Commission designated the property as an historical landmark, obligating taxpayers to fund all maintenance and repairs," the county said. "Waukesha County has spent nearly $500,000 to maintain the empty building. An imminent roof replacement will cost taxpayers nearly a million additional dollars if the vacant building cannot be demolished."
Distant and recent history
The Moor Downs golf course and the former Moor Mud Baths, a now dilapidated building, are both century-old facilities that have been hot political issues since 2001 and more recently.
Both properties, which are part of the county government campus along Moreland Boulevard west of Pewaukee Road and east of Delafield Street, are iconic elements from Waukesha's civic past.
The Moor Mud Baths opened in 1911 and is on the national, state and local historical registries. It was a resort business tied with the city's history, as a "Saratoga of the West" for its spring waters, which at the time many believed to have healing and rejuvenating properties.
The Moor Mud Baths Resort, as shown in this 1950s photo, was once a popular attraction during Waukesha's early days as a resort town. The facility opened in 1911 and closed in 1961. (Photo: Submitted)
The agreement with the state isn't the first time Waukesha County has worked with the county in its efforts to demolish its former Health and Human Services building.
In 2019, State Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) helped introduce legislation seemingly focused on the county's impasse with the city.
According to an online summary on the Wisconsin State Legislature website, the bill seeks to create a law "limiting certain 2nd class cities' ability to designate or regulate historic landmarks."
The bill hasn't advanced, however, and its outlook for approval or full legislative vote remains uncertain.
Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.
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In yet another comeback, tight-knit Capitals show their resolve
The concept isn’t radical, nor is it unique to the Washington Capitals, yet there it was Sunday, in an improbable 5-4 overtime comeback thriller that will go down as one of the wildest wins in franchise history.
It’s a cliché, one that Capitals coach Todd Reirden understands how it has been a major part of his team’s success. Players have preached it over and over through the Capitals’ 43 games this season, yet as the wins keep building up, it’s getting harder to ignore: This team has no quit. Not after deflating mistakes. Not down two goals with a minute left.
Sunday’s victory against the Sharks was the Capitals’ 14th comeback win, tied with the St. Louis Blues for the most in NHL this season.
This year’s Capitals squad is tight-knit, that much is for certain. There’s still 12 members from the 2018 Stanley Cup run, with the recent acquisitions having blended in like they also raised the trophy. The locker room has more moments of laughter and jokes than serious, hushed conversations. It’s a group that knows how to have fun, spray bottles of champagne like they’re celebrating their own victory when the hometown Washington Nationals win the World Series and pick out their own personalized goal songs for the season.
Even in the toughest situations, they believe that they can pull off the impossible. Some of it comes with a little confidence from the Cup run. Another part comes with the pure experience from the group — goalie Ilya Samsonov is the team’s only rookie. Whatever the case, the Capitals are leading the league, and their resilience is a major factor.
“Pretty veteran group in here, pretty close group, and when you have that, you tend to keep on working for each other,” T.J. Oshie said.
Sunday was another shining example. The Capitals made plenty of mistakes that put them in a hole, but players made up for them in their own ways. Yes, they might have let the team down once, but given a second opportunity? Not so fast.
“I think that’s the one thing that our team has established,” Reirden said. “If you make a mistake, you’re going to get another opportunity to go out and make it right. And don’t rest on that: respond. Respond. Not for yourself, but for the team. And your mistakes can’t drag down the rest of the group. I think that’s been the thing that I like about our resilience and non-quit attitude.”
One of the biggest examples was Lars Eller. The center scored the overtime goal past Martin Jones’ glove on a 2-on-1 breakaway with just over three minutes left in the 3-on-3 extra frame. Before that, Eller had been on the ice for both of San Jose’s power-play goals by Evander Kane and was relatively quiet. But the coaching staff had the confidence to put him back out on the ice when they needed him to step up, and he did.
Look a bit further: Eller’s winning goal was assisted by John Carlson and Braden Holtby. Both had mistakes to make up for as well. Carlson got caught in a bad position that led to San Jose’s empty-netter with 1:00 left in the game to put the Sharks up 4-2. After Jakub Vrana scored to cut the lead to one, Reirden had a decision to make: “Do you put John back out there or do you not?”
And as it has been all season, the answer was simple for Reirden: “Of course you put your guys out there that are leaders and guys that are your team’s top players. You put them on the ice to have the chance again, and then they do it.” Seconds later, Oshie scored the equalizer, sending the game into overtime. It was the team’s seventh 6-on-5 goal of the season, and all the key leaders were on the ice.
Holtby struggled in his prior three starts and had given up three goals in Sunday’s game, but he still was the wall Washington needed in overtime. Eller said he needed to come up with something “extraordinary” in the extra frame, and he did.
“I think that’s just kind of been my philosophy and always has been last year and this year and even prior times is that you go back with your guys that earned the opportunity,” Reirden said. “That’s something like this, like Braden. He’s got a fair body of work, that’s for sure, in this league and his win numbers and being an all-star, he deserves that chance to go back in there today, and he ends up making deciding saves to help us win that extra point.”
Local ‘craftivists’ protest with their knitting needles
In the entire history of the English language, this is the first time these words have appeared together: Modesitt knits uteruses.
“Yes, that’s what I do,” said Annie Modesitt of St. Paul, one of many local women who have started to incorporate political statements into their arts and crafts.
They knit replicas of uteruses, slogan-bearing scarves and pink “pussy hats” — all to fight what they see as injustice and ignorance.
“I know how silly this sounds. But anything can sound silly,” said Modesitt, who runs a yarn-dying business out of her home.
“People protest in a lot of ways. This starts a lot of conversations. You can have a dialog, not just a diatribe.”
Local author and craftivist,Lara Neel, right, shares how she created a pussy pet bed with Amber Lenhoff, left, Laura Winterstein, center, and Sarah Olson, right at Knit and Bolt in NE Minneapolis on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. (Ginger Pinson / Pioneer Press) The yarn-based statements have been boosted by Lara Neel of Minneapolis, who wrote “Crafting the Resistance: 35 Projects for Craftivists, Protestors and Women Who Persist.” Neel hosted a book-signing event recently, which was a chance for like-minded people to meet, talk and knit together.
The women are moving the noisy art of protest into the quiet realm of knitting and crocheting. The uteruses, for example, are sent to members of Congress as an attention-getting device, especially in letters concerning abortion or women’s health.
ALARMED BY RECENT EVENTS
Their work is on display at the Minnesota State Fair.
Rebecca Anspach, Minneapolis, won a fourth-place ribbon for her pink shawl with the words “Nevertheless, she persisted” written in beadwork. That’s a feminist slogan based on a comment by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, after the Senate voted to censor U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, in February.
It was Anspach’s first time knitting anything with political content, but she has been alarmed by recent events in Washington D.C. “What is happening to our country?” she asked.
She said she has seen a pair of mittens with the raised-fist symbol of feminism, also on display at the Fair.
The “craftivism” movement is mostly liberal in its outlook, said Neel. There are no known knitting or crocheting groups in Minnesota for conservatives, but the website Ravelry lists groups in other states including GOP Knitters, Conservative Knitters and Freedom Fighters of America.
A zippered change purse made by craftivist Lara Neel, who has helped spawn “craftivisim.” Neel was at Knit and Bolt in Minneapolis, signing copies of her new book “Crafting the Resistance” on Friday, August 25, 2017.A guide to making the purse is in her new book. (Ginger Pinson / Pioneer Press)
Suzette Raugh of St. Croix Beach is a knitter who is also politically conservative.
She does not mix knitting with politics. “I have seen the vaginas, the hats, the P-word — I don’t even like to say it,” she said.
Raugh said that creating handicrafts is like a form of meditation.
“There is a rhythm to it. It is contemplative,” said Raugh. “I think about healing and blessing. I do it for the joy of giving to someone else.”
“When I look at those (handicrafts) that are about hating Trump or hating Obama, to me that is counterproductive. To me it reinforces the ugliness and negativity in our world.
“They have every right to do that, but to me it flies in the face of the reason you are making something.”
But Minneapolis knitter Anspach said knitting can be the perfect outlet for those who shy away from rallies. “I have never been super politically active,” said Anspach. “I don’t go out of my way to protest something.”
Can mittens and scarves really have the impact of, say, a shouting person with a protest sign?
Cammy Johnson of Maplewood chats with local author and craftivist Lara Neel, who has helped spawn “craftivisim” — the making of crafts that protest something. Neel was at Knit and Bolt in Minneapolis, signing copies of her new book “Crafting the Resistance” on Aug. 25, 2017. (Ginger Pinson / Pioneer Press) ANOTHER WAY TO UNITE
Modesitt said protest knitting is a way to unite people, encourage conversation and calm.
“Right now is especially when you want to pick up your knitting,” she said. “We can take to the streets and march, but there is a lot of self-care to do, too. We have to stay mentally strong and positive.”
The quiet style of protesting perfectly suits the community of knitters. “A lot of people in the fiber world are women, own their own businesses and are very independent,” said Modesitt.
Ellen Silva of Minnetonka is a retired chemical engineer who worries that science is being attacked by public officials.
Her response? Knitting scarves with the DNA double-helix on them.
“To create and wear a physical symbol that I made is deeply important to me,” said Silva. “Now it is more important than ever to keep the faith.”
Chelsea Bearfoot of St. Paul knits pink hats that were worn at the Women’s March in Washington D.C. in January.
To her, a knitting needle can be a tool of protest as much as a megaphone or a burning torch.
“Every day we have to fight injustice and systematic white supremacy,” she said.
“We also have to fight fatigue. Quitting this resistance isn’t a privilege we can allow ourselves to indulge in.”
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