Over the summer the New Berlin Planning Commission, who are all appointed by Mayor Dave Ament, rejected a $170 Million dollar privately funded destination youth tournament baseball complex. This complex would have been built off Grange Avenue just east of Costco/South Side of Grange and drawn thousands of families from across the country to the area every week. Those families would have patronized local businesses including restaurants, hotels, and The Ridge movie theater.
Members of the New Berlin Planning Commission told the developer the plan would not get approved. When the developer pushed for ‘next steps’ the city attorney sent a letter to the developer indicating the project was ‘not in the best interest of the city’. The New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance has a copy of this letter.
This development would have been a massive economic boon for New Berlin at a time when the City of New Berlin is crying for property tax increases. A wheel tax was explored and rejected. The city is now planning to have a referendum to allow the city to raise property taxes above the Act 10 taxpayer protections in state law.
The sports complex the City of New Berlin rejected has now been unveiled in Big Bend.
Are the New Berlin Mayor and Planning Commission acting in the best interest of the taxpayers of New Berlin? Instead of a massive economic game-changing development that would bring massive amounts of new tax revenue and profit for local businesses into the city, New Berlin approves a drug rehab facility for homeless men from Milwaukee? (see prior article on this website)
New Berlin residents wishing to express their opinion to their elected officials can find contact information for the Mayor and City Council at this link:
Over the summer the New Berlin Planning Commission, who are all appointed by Mayor Dave Ament, rejected a $170 Million dollar privately funded destination youth tournament baseball complex. This complex would have been built off Grange Avenue just east of Costco and drawn thousands of families from across the country to the area every week. Those families would have patronized local businesses including restaurants, hotels, and The Ridge movie theater.
Members of the New Berlin Planning Commission told the developer the plan would not get approved. When the developer pushed for ‘next steps’ the city attorney sent a letter to the developer indicating the project was ‘not in the best interest of the city’. The New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance has a copy of this letter.
On December 8th the New Berlin planning commission APPROVED a massive “men’s only” “rehabilitation” facility for the Milwaukee Rescue Mission https://milmission.org/ which provides services to homeless and troubled individuals. This proposed facility would provide services to men only.
Critics of the development point to statistics showing 3/4’s of homeless individuals have severe mental health issues including alcohol/drug addition, schizophrenia, and major depression and ask why these people are being imported from Milwaukee to New Berlin where they have no ties to the community? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8423293/
A supporter of the development expressed a sentiment that: “the work they do there getting people clean and productive is exactly what New Berlin wants. Do you want people contributing to society or not? There has to be work done to get them from addict to productive citizen”
Is the New Berlin Planning Commission acting in the best interest of the RESIDENTS of the city? What would residents have preferred, a showcase destination youth sports complex, or a homeless rehabilitation facility?
Information from the city (see previous link) indicates action will be taken on a meeting on January 13th, 2026 but it is unclear if residents will have a chance to participate in the discussion. You are encouraged to reach out to the mayor and your alderman to express your thoughts on this development and get more information on the upcoming meeting time/agenda
On July 22nd the Ralph Chipman, Director of Finance for the City of New Berlin asked the Common Council to grant him permission to contact the Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation and begin the process of implementing a Wheel Tax in New Berlin. This NEW tax would be up to $40 per vehicle.
Chipman indicated New Berlin faces a significant budget gap for the upcoming year in excess of $3.7 Million.
This proposal has left many New Berlin residents questioning why New Berlin has been on a multi-year building bonanza if the City was facing future budget shortfalls?
New Berlin spent between $18 Million and $22.2 Million converting the former Wal-Mart into an Activity and Recreation Center which opened in 2024. Only a fraction of New Berlin residents have ever used the Rec Center. Usage has been so low that the expanded hours that were supposed to be implemented in 2024 never came to be.
In spite of an under utilized recreation center, elected New Berlin officials decided to spend another $6 Million dollars renovating the old Hickory Grove school on Sunnyslope and Cleveland into an additional community center. This work is ongoing at the time of this post.
Interested New Berlin residents can contact their city officials via the following methods:
Mayor Dave Ament: dament@newberlin.org 262-797-2441
You can also find and contact your Alderperson at the following link:
On Wednesday April 18th New Berlin West announced the “official” school sanctioned location for Prom photos had been changed from Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners to the Milwaukee Public Library – Central Library on West Wisconsin Ave. in Downtown Milwaukee. This change was reported as a result of “rainy weather” in spite of the forecast for this Friday (Prom date) being 60 and sunny for New Berlin.
This comes less than a week since a ‘shootout’ occurred on West Wisconsin Avenue a few blocks from the MKE library that caught innocent bystanders, leaving a concert at Am Fam Field in a bus-limo, in the crossfire.
A recent roundtable of CEO’s of notable downtown employers like Northwestern Mutual and Milwaukee Electric Tool, included statements from executives indicating many employees had been assaulted/robbed during the day coming to and from their offices. Milwaukee Electric Tool is 3 blocks from the central library.
Recent news reports from Milwaukee are chock full of stories of reckless driving, car theft, and assaults all across the city.
Parents have expressed concern to school officials but been told by the faculty advisor it was a “student decision” leaving parents to wonder “was there an adult in the room?”.
The Central Library has no parking. Teenagers from NB West in high heels and dresses will be parking on side streets blocks away and walking distances to get to the library.
One parent was quoted as saying “In the past year New Berlin chose to close schools, for student safety, on the FORECAST of bad weather (which never materialized), yet they are going to send our kids to a high crime location in a different county for Prom photos?”
Parents who wish to express their concerns may contact school officials:
District Superintendent Joe Garza: Joe.Garza@nbexcellence.org NBW Principal Michael Fesenmaier: Michael.Fesenmaier@nbexcellence.org
UPDATE: This afternoon (Wednesday April 19th) New Berlin West issued a statement claiming the following:
—Please know pre-prom photos are not part of the school’s prom planning with students, nor is it something the school sponsors or endorses. The location for photos is, and always has been, completely student-driven. Staff nor administration are part of the planning for this aspect of this pre-prom event; the school coordinates the venue, DJ, food and refreshments, and the dance itself.—
This is simply not accurate. The notice of pre-prom photos was posted on the New Berlin West SALU Instagram page. SALU is the school sanctioned student government at New Berlin West. It is administered under the direction of the Athletic Director. See the following link on the school website:
To suggest the school does not sanction or endorse the actions of the student government organization the school itself sanctions is a misrepresentation of truth and insult to the intelligence of parents in the district.
6/8/22 – UPDATE:NBTA just received word VASA will not be open for workouts on Saturday June 11th as hoped. They are still open 8AM to 7PM for tours and in person membership sales, but they still have to complete some flooring before they can open for workouts. We will pass along any more information regarding when the workout floor is opening as we receive them.
The New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance was given a sneak peak of the new facility at 13995 W. National Ave. (The former Pick-n-Save). In a word, the new gym is stunning. The building was completely renovated inside and out with all new HVAC and exceptional natural light including many skylights. Scroll down for a gallery of pictures taken Wednesday, June 1st. VASA Chief Brand and Marketing Officer Mindi Bridges provided a guided tour of VASA’s “Mall of Fitness” concept.
VASA Fitness (pronounced VAH-suh) will open for tours and in-person membership sales this coming Saturday, June 4th from 8am to 5pm. VASA was founded in Utah and currently has facilities in 8 states. 25 facilities in Utah, 11 in Colorado. The nearest gyms to the New Berlin location are in Illinois (Villa Park and Joliet). The anticipated opening date for members/workouts is June 11th due to a slight delay with locker room plumbing. Online membership sales are already taking place at https://vasafitness.com/locations/wi/new-berlin/ and are reported to be very brisk.
There are 3 main membership levels. “Basic” membership is $9.99/month -“Fitness” membership is $21.99/month (the Silver Sneakers program will be a “Fitness” level membership) – “Studio” membership is $39.99/month. You can purchase a “guest privileges” add-on for $15.99 a month which allows you to bring 2 guests with you per workout. Your guests enjoy the same privileges corresponding to your membership level. “Kidcare” memberships are available for $25/month per child except for “Studio” members who can add a child membership for $10 per child per month. Kidcare is available for children 6 weeks to 12 years old. 13 year-old and older may join and workout in the facility.
The General Manager for the New Berlin facility is Dan Parker. Dan can be reached at dan.parker@vasafitness.com
Pictures of the ribbon cutting and sneak peek event held on Wednesday June 1st:
VASA Fitness 6/1/2022Opening for tours and in-person membership sales June 4thVASA Chief Brand and Marketing Officer Mindi BridgesRibbon Cutting: VASA Chief Brand and Marketing Officer Mindi Bridges. Local General Manager Dan Parker on far right (black hat)
EntranceREVIVE retail area just past check in. “Drinks and Snacks” with new apparel and gear every quarter.
Studio Flow Infrared Yoga Studio. Studio membership level.
5 “Hydro-Massage” chairs. Unlimited 10-minute hydro-massages with “Fitness” level membership120 dumbbells (60 pairs) Very well staged with lower weights at each end for efficient access/reduced cross-traffic. Heavy weights in center
Cycle fitness with Milwaukee Mural – “Fitness” level membership.
Deadlift & squat rack area with large windows for natural light
Full Basketball Court – “Fitness” membership level
5 deluxe LifeFitness cable stations with pull up barsCardio deck with day lockers and jacket cubbiesGroup fitness – “Fitness” membership level
The pool and locker room facilities are still being completed and will be opening soon. The pool is a 3 lane chlorine lap pool. The pool area also contains a hot tub, sauna and steam room. (not pictured). The pool area is open to “fitness” level memberships.
Thank-you for visiting the New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance website and please be welcome to comment below and subscribe your email from the home-page to receive notification when new local news items are posted. Reach the New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance at newberlintaxpayers@gmail.com
NBTA has learned the tentative opening date for VASA (pronounced VAH-suh) is June 4th. VASA’s official grand opening celebration for the public will be Saturday, June 4 starting at 8 a.m. Members of the public can stop in for awesome VASA gear and other giveaways, a tour of the brand new gym, and be entered into a raffle to win a one year STUDIO membership. For more information about VASA memberships and amenities, please visit https://vasafitness.com/locations/wi/
Building signage is going up and fitness equipment is being loaded in as of Monday May 16th. Pics:
Moorland Road Closure: Railroad Crossing Replacement May 21-24
Replacement of the railroad crossing at Moorland Road (County Highway O) in New Berlin, just south of Greenfield Avenue (State Highway 59) is scheduled to begin. A temporary repair of the northbound lanes took place several months ago, but an entire replacement will be done this weekend.
Construction will take place Saturday, May 21 through Tuesday, May 24, 2022
During this work, a 1.5-mile segment of Moorland Road will be closed between West Greenfield Avenue (State Highway 59) and West Cleveland Avenue (County Highway D). Drivers will be detoured to S. 108th Street. Alternate routes are strongly encouraged.
Moorland Road Railroad Crossing
Thank-you to all who signed New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance petition last year. Your contributions precipitated this action. The Moorland Road crossing was not otherwise scheduled for replacement until at least 2026 or later. Also special thank-you to County Supervisor Ted Wysocki who spearheaded the effort at the county board level.
Coming next: A sneak peak inside VASA Fitness. Officials from VASA Fitness have offered to let us inside pre-opening for a tour and photographs.
Got a news tip? Got a local issue you’d like NBTA to investigate? Let us know via the contact form on this website or email newberlintaxpayers@gmail.com – Stay Free New Berlin!
The New Berlin School Board Election is in 2 days (Tuesday April 5th)
The New Berlin Taxpayer Alliance does not believe in telling people how to vote. Rather we believe in sharing information about candidates so the people of New Berlin can make the decision best for themselves and their family.
The Waukesha County Democrat and Republican Parties have provided information on their supported candidates for this election.
The candidates for School Board have also self-identified and collaborated on flyers for their 2 respective voting blocks. There are 6 candidates vying for 3 seats up for election. You can vote for 3 candidates on your ballot.
For Conservative/Republican leaning voters, the candidates you would likely be interested in are: Janet Schulz (current School Board President) Mitch Helmer (current School Board Vice-President) Renee Koneck
For Liberal/Democrat leaning voters, the candidates you would likely be interested in are: Kate Unger (current School Board Member) Scott Jentsch Meg McKenzie
WisRed is the voter information initiative of the Waukesha Republican Party. The following is their voter-guide for New Berlin School Board.
The Waukesha Democrat Party has also published a voter guide for their preferred candidates:
The Conservative candidates have published and circulated a flyer by US Mail.
-Meg McKenzie- Former radio DJ and candidate for New Berlin school board –
The New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance supports honest and full disclosure from candidates for local office. We believe those who seek elected positions should be transparent with their political beliefs and social values so voters can individually decide who will best represent them as an elected official. While school board is a non-partisan election, it is clear from local, regional, and national news reporting, that political issues have been ever present in our schools. Race-focused curriculum, politically driven health and safety mandates, biological males competing in female sports and utilizing female bathrooms, and the imposition of the ‘social values’ of teachers and administration that contrast with the family values of students are relevant topics the New Berlin School Board will likely have to address in the future.
In the past there has been a sentiment that school board issues are independent from the larger political discourse in this country. We disagree and think the events of the last 2 years have proven how representative a candidates partisan political ideology is in predicting their policy decisions on local issues. We establish this context to explain our decision to share the information that has been provided to NBTA, pertaining to school board candidate Meg McKenzie, from our local sources. NBTA contacted McKenzie for comment but she did not respond.
New Berlin West and Eisenhower High Schools both have school resource officers. Some school districts have opted to eliminate school resource officers. In addition, decisions regarding the summoning of police to schools for disciplinary issues varies from district to district and is the subject of much debate. For this reason, the disposition of a candidate towards police is relevant to school board candidates.
In the spring of 2021, New Berlin Police were present at a school board meeting where political activists from outside the district and Milwaukee television news media were present. Meg McKenzie shared the following statement on social media regarding the police presence (note DEI = Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) https://dei.extension.org/:
Does McKenzie believe police presence is meant for “intimidation”? Does this statement demonstrate her true belief on police resource officers in school? Would she be against calling police when students commit crimes?
On April 10th 2021, candidate McKenzie posted the following assertion to her Twitter account. We conclude based on reading this post that Ms. McKenzie is referring to police as ‘racist dangerous criminals who operate with impunity’ and that the law enforcement system is broken. Some share this view, some do not. Voters should be aware of candidate McKenzie’s attitude towards law enforcement.
Also note in the prior image McKenzie makes the assertion “black people don’t swim”. NBTA believes this is an incredibly racist statement. We encourage Ms. McKenzie to do a google search for black Olympic swimmers, of which there are many medal winners. She could also visit any of the great Milwaukee County Park System pools to see many black children swimming. McKenzie has a habit of accusing others of racism. While NBTA recognizes hypocrisy and double standards are normal operating procedure for many politicians, we think McKenzie should have some introspection on her own racist statements.
New Berlin is a diverse community with middle class, suburban, rural, and wealthy households. By demographics many of those wealthy households are ‘white’ and identify as, or tend to vote republican. In a tweet from April 7th 2021 McKenzie makes very pejorative accusations towards ‘white wealthy Republicans’.
NBTA attempted to contact candidate McKenzie to ask if she was seeking the votes of wealthy white republican residents of New Berlin and/or how those who fit that category could expect fair representation on the school board for themselves or their students within NB schools. We did not receive a response.
Many residents of New Berlin have concerns about election integrity and voter fraud. Meg McKenzie has shared her disposition on this subject as well. After the Georgia legislature passed election reform that expanded voting opportunities while making fraud more difficult, school board candidate McKenzie cast a KKK reference towards those who supported the legislation.
The New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance would ask candidate McKenzie if she also thinks New Berlin residents who support election reform “might as well be wearing hoods”, but she did not respond to our request for comment.
Cancel culture and false accusations against conservatives are also notable issues in this country. Many New Berlin residents tend to be strong 2nd Amendment supporters. In a tweet from April of 2021, McKenzie characterized Kyle Rittenhouse as a “white supremacist, killer, and murderer”.
There is no evidence Kyle Rittenhouse is a white supremacist. Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of the charges filed against him after a diverse jury declared him not guilty. In addition apparently Ms. McKenzie thinks that police officers shouldn’t be allowed to donate to support wrongfully accused citizens. NBTA wanted to ask candidate McKenzie if New Berlin residents should expect this kind of rush to judgment, and incendiary false accusations against a person who is presumed innocent, from her as a school board member, if elected. She did not respond to our request for comment.
The New Berlin School Board election is on Tuesday April 5th. Voters should be aware of the 6 candidates for the 3 seats, Meg McKenzie, Kate Unger, and Scott Jentsch have aligned themselves as having shared views. See image capture from Kate Unger’s election website.
The New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance will be reaching out to Jentsch and Unger to ask if the views Meg McKenzie has expressed over the last year align with their views, as indicated on candidate Unger’s website. We will provide future updates as appropriate.
Wisconsin Carry, Inc., the states largest non-NRA affiliated gun rights organization is holding a free concealed carry license training course for New Berlin/New Berlin area residents at the Faith Bible Church on the corner of 112th and Cold Spring on Saturday March 19th, 2022.
Wisconsin requires a “proof of training” certificate in order to obtain your concealed carry license. This 4 hour class meets the training requirement. You will leave this class with a training certificate which you would submit to the State of Wisconsin to apply for your concealed carry license. This class is free, however the State of Wisconsin charges a $40 application fee.
With crime surging across SE Wisconsin don’t miss this opportunity to protect yourself and your family. You do not need to own a gun to attend this class.
People typically receive their license within 2 weeks of submitting a valid application.
file photo – Joe Garza welcomes Tony Evers to NBSD during 2018 gubernatorial campaign
BACKGROUND: In December of 2021, the parent of a New Berlin West High School student filed a lawsuit against District Superintendent Joe Garza. The lawsuit alleged Garza violated Wisconsin Open Records Law – Wis. Stats. § 19.35(1) and § 19.37(1) by refusing to provide an open records request made by the parent unless the parent remitted payment of fees in excess of those allowed by state statute.
According to information from the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Office of Open Government: It is imperative that (governmental bodies) recognize that transparency is the cornerstone of democracy and that citizens cannot hold elected officials accountable in a representative government unless government is performed in the open…. ….Wisconsin’s open government laws promote democracy by ensuring that all state, regional and local governments conduct their business with transparency. Wisconsin citizens have a right to know how their government is spending their tax dollars and exercising the powers granted by the people.
THE SETTLEMENT: The School District of New Berlin settled the lawsuit this past week. Under the terms of the settlement, The District will provide the requested records at no cost and pay $1,500 for the parent’s attorney costs and lawsuit filing fees.
WHAT RECORDS WERE REQUESTED: The parent of a New Berlin West High School Student, who has/had 2 daughters in the girls basketball program, requested electronic copies of the “end of season parent/athlete surveys” for the years their daughters participated. Athletic Director Jordan Napoli collected these surveys after every season. Superintendent Joe Garza sought to charge the parent $140 to “locate” the records. Superintendent Garza claimed it took AD Napoli 2.5 hours to “process” the request.
WISCONSIN OPEN RECORDS LAW: Wisconsin Open Records law only allows an governmental entity to charge a requester for a few specific fees including copy and transcription fees, photography reproduction fees, locating costs, and mailing and shipping fees. See open records compliance guide here: https://www.doj.state.wi.us/sites/default/files/office-open-government/Resources/PRL-GUIDE.pdf
Regarding “locating” costs, the compliance guide details:
Location costs. Costs associated with locating records may be charged if they total $50.00 or more. “Locating” a record means to find it by searching, examining, or experimenting. Subsequent review and redaction of the record are separate processes, not included in location of the record, for which a requester may not be charged. Only actual, necessary, and direct location costs are permitted. Generally, the rate for an actual, necessary, and direct charge for staff time should be based on the pay rate of the lowest paid employee capable of performing the task. An authority has discretion to provide requested records for free or at a reduced charge.
OPEN RECORDS = ACCOUNTABILITY: Open and transparent government is crucial if we are to preserve our “free” country. The New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance tagline: “Freedom and Accountability Starts Locally”. If you would like assistance/advice on open records from any local government entity (school district, city government, county government) please be welcome to reach out to NBTA at newberlintaxpayers@gmail.com
If you would like to receive notification of future news items as they are published by NBTA please add your email using the form at the bottom of the website home-page. www.newberlintaxpayers.org
New Berlin Taxpayers Alliance 