The Milwaukee Post

6 • Milwaukee County Post • January 20, 2017 South Side area chosen for 2017 Block Build MKE MILWAUKEE — If you live on South 17th Street between West Mineral and Greenfield avenues, be ready to be revital- ized. The area was selected by Revitalize Milwaukee as its 2017 Block Build MKE winner. The Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative project was chosen out of four finalists. The others were The Near West Side Partners, Riverworks Development Corporation and Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers. More than 200 community leaders were initially contact- ed to submit a block. The build will take place from May 19 to May 20. More than 30 homes will benefit from this neighborhood investment to be in the "tens of thousands of dollars," according to a news release. Revitalize Milwaukee will provide large-scale rehab, including critical repairs, accessibility modifications and beautification projects. All homes will receive landscaping, new mailboxes and house numbers. "In response to the community's need, Revitalize Milwaukee will concentrate our efforts this year through Block Build MKE and Mini Block Builds in order to make a larger impact in these neighborhoods," Lynnea Katz-Petted, CEO of Revitalize Milwaukee, said in a statement. "At the same time, we will still contin- ue to provide free home and emergency repairs for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities throughout the Milwaukee and Waukesha counties," she said. Hundreds of volunteers and community partners will work on more than 30 homes. About 15 to 20 of them will receive "major improvements," 12th District Alderman José G. Pérez said. "I am ecstatic about the selection, and I want to offer my sincere gratitude to Revitalize Milwaukee and to its CEO, Lynnea Katz-Petted, and the selection com- mittee," said Pérez, who last year sent a let- ter of nomination and support to Revitalize Milwaukee for the Clarke Square area. The other finalists will receive a similar but smaller Mini Block Build. The Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers Mini Block Build will take place in July and will focus on the area around the Lincoln Avenue Elementary School on South 18th and South 19th Streets between Lincoln and West Hayes avenues. In recent decades, this neighbor- hood has been marked by significant eco- nomic, housing and environmental declines that include high rates of crime and poverty, a deteriorating housing stock and substantial disinvestments in green space and infrastructure. The Near West Side Partners Mini Block Build will take place in September. It will focus on the east portion of Miller Valley on the triangle plot of homes between State Street, north 37th Street and west Miller Lane. The majority of homes were built between 1900 and 1920 and many have distinct needs concerning safety, util- ity and aesthetics. The Riverworks Development Corporation Mini Block Build will take place in October and will focus on Third and Fourth streets between West Capitol and West Abert places, which is at the north end of the Harambee neighborhood. Like many Milwaukee neighborhoods, Riverworks struggles with an aging popu- lation of homeowners, deferred mainte- nance, absentee landlords, and the associ- ated transient population of renters, boarded-up vacant homes, a large number of city foreclosures, tax delinquency and a high percentage of residents who live below the poverty line. The Riverworks project will emphasize women helping women and is being called "Shevitalize." More than 65 percent of the households that Revitalize Milwaukee served in 2016 were headed by women. This mini build will highlight women business owners, women making donations, women volunteers and the women served by Revitalize Milwaukee. "I want to thank Revitalize Milwaukee for taking on this unprecedented number of projects across the city and especially the very positive Mini Block Build in the Riverworks area," 6th District Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs said. Since 2000, Revitalize Milwaukee has completed home updates for more than 1,700 homes with the help of over 7,500 vol- unteers and invested $12.5 million into Milwaukee-area housing. Revitalize Milwaukee receives over 280 calls a month for help and performs more than 2,000 proj- ects annually at more than 340 unique home addresses. BUSINESS Northwestern Mutual announces technology investment MILWAUKEE — Northwestern Mutual announced that it's invested $50 million in technology startups. The company said in a release it will use the new venture capital company Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures to engage startups whose technologies "have the potential to transform how consumers experience and achieve financial security." "We want to make it easier for Americans to know what financial security is and how to achieve it," said Rebecca Porter, vice president of corporate strategy and chair of the investment committee for Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures. Northwestern Mutual said the commit- ment will focus on building a greater digi- tal relevance for clients and increase data- driven decision making. Walker, DWD announce $3M grant program MILWAUKEE — On the heels of last week's State of the State address, Gov. Scott Walker and the Department of Workforce Development announced that up to $3 mil- lion in new grants is available. Walker's speech centered around devel- oping Wisconsin's workforce and he joined DWD Secretary Ray Allen on Jan. 12 to announce the new funding for the grants, known as Wisconsin Fast Forward. The grants provide employers in the state with customized worker training solutions for construction and small business workers. "One of the greatest challenges facing Wisconsin now is bridging the skills gap and finding workers to fill jobs in high- demand sectors," Walker said. "Workforce development is a top priority for us for 2017 and beyond, and these Wisconsin Fast Forward grants incentivize state employers to implement training programs that pro- vide workers with the practical skills they need to succeed." The grant application deadline is 11:59 p.m. March 3. To learn how to apply, visit WisconsinFastForward. com. Go Riteway announces new hire MILWAUKEE — Go Riteway Transportation Group announced the hir- ing of Steve McKinnon as the ground trans- portation company's new regional safety manager. McKinnon worked as a distribution operations supervisor, a district loss pre- vention investigator, and a senior investi- gator in business intelligence and investi- gations previously. Most recently, McKinnon was a law enforcement officer for 19 years, retiring as a sergeant of the Menomonee Falls Police Department. Submitted photo Revitalize Milwaukee will again makes improvements to a selected block. This year's Block Build MKE will take place May 19 to May 20 on South 17th Street between West Mineral and Greenfield avenues.

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