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TOD Connects Community Workshops

Join us for our 4th Community Workshop for the Moving Milwaukee Forward through Transit Oriented Development Study. There are two meetings scheduled, one for the King Drive area and one for the Walker’s Point area.

Tuesday, May 22nd
6-8pm
Welford Sanders Enterprise Center
2812 N 5th St, Milwaukee, WI 53212

AND

Wednesday, May 23rd
6-8pm
Escuela Vieau, gymnasium
823 South 4th Street
Milwaukee WI 53204

A light dinner will be served at both meetings

The proposed, future extensions of the The Hop north along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and south into Walker’s Point have the potential to connect people to jobs, attract new businesses, bring new housing options and improve public open spaces. The City of Milwaukee, Historic King Drive Business Improvement District, Walker’s Point Association and Harbor District Inc. are planning for how to ensure residents and businesses benefit from the potential changes that improved transit could bring to the neighborhood. The only way to make this study successful is to hear from residents.

Over the course of the past three community workshops, we heard from the community on a wide range of topics related to expansion of The Hop and got feedback on preliminary design concepts to address:

  • Housing needs, especially affordable options
  • Different type of commercial activity that people would like to have in their neighborhood
  • Keeping the unique cultural identity of the neighborhoods
  • Size and appearance of new buildings
  • Making the area more pleasant for walking and biking

Please help us in refining these concepts as we think about the different ways to make these community goals happen.

There will be a presentation at the beginning, followed by an opportunity to talk with the study team and other residents in small groups about the preliminary recommendations.  Additional details about the event and the project are available here. Please attend and bring a neighbor!

Now Hiring

The Hop, presented by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, is looking to fill more than 20 new positions for Milwaukee’s streetcar system, including 14 streetcar operator jobs. To see a list of available positions or apply online, click here.

Current open positions and desired backgrounds include:

  • Streetcar Operators (14): transit or commercial driving experience preferred but not required.
  • Streetcar Supervisors (4): 2 years supervisory experience preferred in transportation or similar field.
  • Safety Trainer/Supervisor (1): 1-2 years of training experience in safety or similar field or role.
  • Administrative Generalist: 2 years prior experience in a human resource department environment with experience in payroll systems.
  • Facility Maintenance Technician (2): 2-3 years prior facility maintenance experience preferred especially in areas of electrical systems.
  • Brookville Vehicle Maintenance Technician – high school diploma or associate (this position will be hired separately – more information can be found here).

The Hop is expected to employ about 30 people by the time the system is operational this fall.

Testing, Testing

Motorists and pedestrians along W. St. Paul Ave. were treated to a special sight on April 11 as the first vehicle for The Hop, presented by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, began testing on the road for the first time. Representatives from the city, the streetcar operator and the vehicle manufacturer were all on hand for the beginning of the long and thorough process to prepare the streetcar for passenger use later this fall.

As TV cameras and onlookers watched, The Hop navigated its way up and down a fenced-in portion of track on St. Paul between N. Fourth St. and N. Plankinton Ave. The testing procedures are designed to ensure that all components of the system, from internal controls to the overhead wires providing power to the vehicles, are operating as intended. The vehicle will continue testing along St. Paul in the weeks ahead, before ultimately beginning to test along the entire route through downtown later this summer.

While there’s no fixed schedule for testing, motorists and pedestrians can expect to see The Hop in action often in the coming weeks, and are encouraged to come on down, take some photos, and welcome our newest addition to the city. Whether you plan on checking out The Hop on foot or in your own vehicle, we’d also encourage everyone to review some important safety information.

Stay tuned for more exciting news about The Hop, including the arrival of the second vehicle next month!

 


The Hop is Home

The first streetcar vehicle for The Hop, presented by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, arrived in Milwaukee on March 26 following its 600-mile journey from manufacturer Brookville Equipment Corp. in Brookville, Penn., by flatbed truck.

The vehicle’s arrival marked the first opportunity for the public to get a glimpse of the vehicle, including the new The Hop branding and color scheme. Today’s delivery was the first of a five-vehicle order, with the remaining cars slated to arrive over the next few months.

“The arrival of The Hop’s first vehicle in Milwaukee is a major and highly visible step forward in the development of our new streetcar system,” Mayor Tom Barrett said. “By the end of this year, Milwaukeeans will be able to ride the streetcar to so many places — and with free rides for the first year, thanks to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s generous support.”

Ald. Robert Bauman, who represents much of the Downtown area, said, “Sixty years ago to the month, streetcar operations ended in Milwaukee, closing out 68 years of electrified street railway service that once operated over 191 miles of Milwaukee streets. The last line, the #10 Wells Street line, ceased operations in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 2, 1958. Portions of the original #10 Line (Ogden and Jackson St.) will again see streetcar service as part of Milwaukee’s modern streetcar system’s initial starter line.”

Media and elected officials joined a crowd of excited Milwaukeeans on W. St. Paul Ave. today to welcome The Hop home. The first streetcar will spend the next few weeks inside the new Operations & Maintenance Facility located on N. Fourth St. as workers put the finishing touches on the vehicle. On-street testing for the streetcar will begin in mid-April on a section of track along W. St. Paul Ave., with testing along the full initial route to begin this summer.

The Hop will officially open to the public in the fall, with free rides for the first year of operation thanks to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s generous 12-year, $10 million sponsorship deal.

 


 

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