Every Friday, Off The Record looks to other Milwaukee publications (and beyond) for bits of news we missed throughout the week.
• Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele has spent the last few weeks floating the idea of installing parking meters in Milwaukee County Parks. The parks need revenue to operate, Abele has argued, and budget cuts from the County Board—not to mention less shared revenue from the state—have made paid parking a sad necessity. Unless you’re down for slashing services and programs, the argument goes, get ready to pony up anywhere between $1 and $2.50 per hour to let your kid run around Lake Park for the afternoon. Fun! According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Rejecting parking fees at this time would result in a $1.6 million deficit in the parks department budget for this year, [county administrative services director Teig] Whaley-Smith said. That deficit could be erased only with new revenue, such as an increase in the county’s $30 wheel tax, or budget cuts, he said.
The $1.15 billion county budget for 2018 adopted by the board on Nov. 6 included the revenue from a pay-to-park program in parks.
Not hyped on the idea of plugging a meter every time you drop by one of 40 Milwaukee County Parks, and/or Lincoln Memorial Drive? Then drive to the Mitchell Park Domes on Tuesday, February 6; park your car for free; and attend a public meeting about ending free parking at County Parks—including the Domes. Seriously, let’s all go to this thing. See you at 6 p.m.! [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• Then again, maybe the meeting is meaningless and the County will go ahead with its paid parking plan regardless. But let’s all go to the meeting anyway, okay? [News/Talk 1130]
• Sprecher Brewing Co. will open a taproom in the old Brenner Brewing building, 706 S. 5th St., on February 17. “Having a second taproom is something the state allows you to do, so we’re taking advantage of that,” Sprecher President Jeff Hamilton says. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• Restauranteur Brian Ward is opening a “Southern rock and country-themed live music venue” called Rock Country today at 4 p.m. Rock Country is located at 11400 W. Silver Spring Road. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• El-Shareef released a terrific new EP, What If I Did This? [Soundcloud]
• WMSE’s 16th Annual Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser is set for Sunday, March 11—but dammit, we want some rockabilly chilly now. Never fear: The Ruckus in Shorewood has created a “Rockabilly Chili Burger,” featuring a “pork chorizo-angus beef blended patty topped with homemade veggie chili, onion rings, and covered with house cheese sauce and BBQ sauce on a troubadour sweet bun.” (A veggie and hot dog version are available, too.) The burger will make its debut on Saturday, February 10, during a live WMSE remote from The Ruckus. Twenty percent of the sales will go to the station. [WMSE]
• The Milwaukee Brewers announced a bunch of theme nights for the 2018 season, including Star Wars Night, Pride Night, Grease Night, and Zubazpalooza. [OnMilwaukee]
• Speaking of the Brewers, Miller Park’s Arctic Tailgate is set to return February 17. Get your 2018 tickets now, and hang with the newly minted Johnsonville Famous Racing Sausages. [OnMilwaukee]
• The 2018 Brewcity Bruisers Fundraiser is set for Saturday, February 17 at the Pabst Milwaukee Brewery & Taproom. [Facebook]
• Lauren Keene talked to Body Futures about being old, being unique, and being weird. [Shepherd Express]
• The fog is getting thicker, and City Lights Brewing is getting laaaaarger. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Have a great weekend, Milwaukee!