I disagree with Jack Gebhardt’s opinion piece regarding the ‘southern lakefront’ area of Milwaukee (“Why would Milwaukee squander prime real estate with a sewage plant and salt piles? Dec. 1).
The operation of a metropolitan area isn’t all fun and games and about tax revenue. It can be dirty work. Land must be dedicated to certain infrastructures. Jones island and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District services about 1.1 million residents and covers a service area of over 400 square miles. It isn’t a facility that is just picked up and moved.
What isn’t offered is where it should be moved to. What about the deep tunnel tie in? Cost and timelines are not offered. To fall back on former Alderman Cornelius Corcoran’s concern about the lakefront benefiting all, if clean water and the elimination of waste (no pun intended) doesn’t benefit the people, what does?
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Recently, the Village of Whitefish Bay has been hamstrung, engineering wise and financially, by one broken sewer line at the corner of Lake Drive and Palisades. Not a good test run for moving Jones Island. Concerned about salt piles? Close to the docks and easy Interstate 794 access serves many municipalities well.
I’m of the opinion that product improvements are great. However, if something isn’t broken, please save taxpayer money and don’t fix it.
Paul MacGillis (former Milwaukee resident), Menomonee Falls
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Port of Milwaukee and MMSD provide critical infrastructure | Letters