Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

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Capitol Dr. Brookfield, WI 53045 262-781-9800 FIGHTING FOR TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE SOERENS CAR BUYING WAY. 236784001 MARK PATTON JAMES RICCABONI PAT BITTERBERG STEVE BAUMAN WISCONSIN'S ALL-TIME LEADING SALES GROUP! $965 MILLION CAREER SALES $56 MILLION SOLD IN 2013 shorewest.com DIRECT: 262/786-4001, ext. 122 HOTLINE: 262/814-1400 + 5 Digit PIN INTERNET: bitterberg.shorewest.com E-MAIL: bitterberggroup@shorewest.com LEADING REAL ESTATE COMPANIES OF THE WORLD TM RELOHomeSearch.com LuxuryPortfolio.com LeadingRE.com PERFORMANCE COUNTS TM BROOKFIELD 2380 Indian Trail $839,900 PIN 73845 BROOKFIELD 1285 Helene Drive $625,000 PIN 86765 BROOKFIELD 2173 Norhardt Drive $294,000 PIN 40605 BROOKFIELD 2620 Almesbury Ave. $379,850 PIN 91085 BROOKFIELD 4690 Bradon Trail East $949,900 PIN 77215 235994005 LUXURY PORTFOLIO LUXURY PORTFOLIO LUXURY PORTFOLIO 2 3 5 9 2 5 0 0 1 ELM GROVE – An Elm Grove police officer, Preston Nobile, is back to work after being taken to Froedtert Hospital for smoke inhalation in a Feb. 18 fire that caused an estimated $200,000 in damage to a residence on Brojan Drive. According to a press release from the Elm Grove Police Department, police and fire personnel responded to 1805 Brojan Drive at about 9:20 p.m. Feb. 18 for reports of an active fire in a house occupied by two adult family members. Initially, officers were uncertain whether all occupants were out of the house, so Nobile attempted to enter the home to check for the male family member who was unac- counted for. The male had already left the home safely without assis- tance, and Nobile, a seven-year patrol veteran, was transported to Froedtert for smoke inhalation. According to the release, emer- gency responders arrived within minutes of the call, with the first fire apparatus arriving approxi- mately 11 minutes after notifica- tion. According to the release, early damage estimates of structural loss are between $150,000 and $200,000. The cause of the fire is undeter- mined at this time, according to police. "Early activation of smoke detec- tors made the difference in alerting the occupants and getting them out of the house safely," said Elm Grove Fire Chief William Selzer. – Freeman Staff By Darryl Enriquez Special to The Freeman WAUKESHA – Milwaukee County Execu- tive Chris Abele told the Waukesha Rotary Monday that Milwaukee and Waukesha county collaborations are likely to contin- ue because of the mutual benefits. Abele, elected county executive in 2011, was the keynote speaker at the Rotary lun- cheon. In an interview after his talk, Abele expanded on his message of county part- nerships. "I'm always surprised when people are surprised that I get along with (Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas). We're doing a (shared emergency) radio system together and that's been easy. "Dan is a pragmatic guy who likes solu- tions. These (cooperative efforts) happen a lot more than people know, and there are very real benefits to it. I love Wauke- sha and I'm really proud to have Wauke- sha as our neighbor." Abele said partnerships are developed through establishing relationships with other county officials and understanding that counties share the same issues, such as budgeting tax dollars and providing ser- vices. "When we look for allies, we can do anything," Abele said. "I spent a lot of time developing relationships with Dan and other county executives, probably because we're all managing similar bud- gets. "I like to kid Dan that Milwaukee County for this year had a zero budget increase, and Waukesha County had a one percent increase." Understanding where Milwaukee Coun- ty once was fiscally gives Abele some brag- ging rights, he said. "Fiscally, when I came to Milwaukee County, I used to say it would be like the Titanic hitting the Hindenburg, but worse," he said. The Public Policy Forum, a Milwaukee- based think tank, had predicted Milwaukee County would suffer a structural deficit of $86 million for this year. Abele said he kept it to $14 million. "I have reduced liabilities and debt," he said. Abele said he enjoys speaking to Rotari- ans because they are part of "the most priceless and beautiful and exquisite ethic of America, its charitable impulse. We do it right. "Probably no organization has done it as long and on as large a scale as Rotary." Abele praises Vrakas, Waukesha/Milwaukee county collaborations Abele Officer suffers smoke inhalation in Elm Grove fire By Darryl J. Enriquez Special to The Freeman WAUKESHA – The shared medical clinic proposed for some 2,900 Waukesha, Waukesha County and Waukesha School District employees would provide health care costs savings of $8.1 million, up $1.2 million from the projection that was forecasted last May. The new figure was revealed recently to County Board officials, county workers and interested resi- dents who attended a pre- sentation by the North Car- olina firm selected to oper- ate the clinic in the former Public Health Building. The proposed clinic is adjacent to the County Courthouse, 515 W. Moreland Blvd. Healthstat, operator of separate employee medical clinics for the West Bend School District and the city of Kenosha, won the bid, in part, because of its estimat- ed $8.1 million in savings over a five-year period. The county's savings by opening the clinic was projected at $3.2 million. Supervisor Kathleen Cum- mings, who once called the clinic proposal a "boondog- gle," asked what guarantee the county had that the pro- jected savings would be met. Norm Cummings, head of the county's Department of Administration, said the fig- ures would be spelled out in a five-year contract with Healthstat to be the clinic's operator and staff provider. Norm Cummings added that other bids to run the clinic came in with similar savings projections, which validates Healthstat's sav- ing projections. Supervisor David Swan of the City of Pewaukee asked about the county's liability in the venture. Norm Cum- mings said Healthstat would assume the liability of oper- ating the clinic as a health care facility. Supervisor Patricia Haukohl of Brookfield ques- tioned why the clinic's costs were lower. "Is it because doctors are paid less?" she asked. Susan Kinzler, chief finan- cial officer for Healthstat, said the lower costs are because the proposed on-site clinic would not have the expense of pursuing reim- bursements through private health insurance carriers. Instead, the clinic would charge employees average co-pays of $5 each and the county, which is self- insured, will pay $45 for each of those visits, she said. The average cost to an employee for medication would be $5 and the county will be charged $2. Savings are realized when projected clinic costs are compared with the average costs of employees who visit community clinics. The average co-pay is $28 and the county pays $112 per visit, according to Healthstat's presentation. The clinic would quickly treat minor ailments and injuries and practice pre- ventive medical care, Kin- zler said. The school district has more than 1,100 employ- ees, the city less than 500 and the county about 1,300. Employees with serious medical issues would be encouraged to visit their regular doctors. Norm Cummings said intergovernmental agree- ments among the three part- ners should be reached and approved next month. The opening of the clinic is pro- jected for September. By Brian Huber Freeman Staff WAUKESHA – The Oak Creek police officer arrested after a police chase early on the morning of Feb. 15 was placed on adminis- trative leave, Oak Creek's police chief said. Christopher Luzinski, 37, was charged Feb. 17 with a felony count of fleeing police following the incident in Elm Grove and was released after signing a $1,500 signature bond. During the encounter, Luzinski told police he was an Oak Creek policeman. Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards confirmed that Luzinski is a member of his department and was placed on leave. "The alleged information in the complaint, should it be true, abso- lutely isn't the high standards and expectations we have for our officers and how they conduct themselves," Edwards said. "We have opened an internal investi- gation to determine the extent of any rules and policy violations and he's on paid administrative leave at this time." Defense attorney Tom Kolpien said Luzinski is cooperating with the investigation. According to a criminal com- plaint, a police officer saw Luzin- ski make an incomplete stop at Elm Grove and Watertown Plank roads at about 2:48 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. The officer followed the vehicle as it drove onto Water- town Plank Road at up to 85 mph, the complaint said. The car turned west onto Blue- mound Road, driving at speeds up to 101 mph, the complaint said, before stopping at a red light after a chase of about 1.7 miles. Along the way, Luzinski appeared to lose control of his car but regained it, the complaint said. When officers approached the car, Luzinski told them, "I didn't know I was supposed to stop," the complaint said. He failed field sobriety tests and said he was a police officer from Oak Creek, the complaint said. He had a breath test show- ing a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 percent, the complaint said. It added he did not remember leaving a tavern and was very apologetic about the whole situa- tion. He waived a preliminary hear- ing and will appear in court again March 12. Email: bhuber@conleynet.com Oak Creek officer placed on leave after felony arrest in Elm Grove Shared medical clinic projected to save more than $8 million

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