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As Bucks Arena Construction Gets Underway, Neighbors Prepare for Disruptions

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A banner depicting the new Bucks arena was on display at the ceremonial groundbreaking

A chain link fence has gone up in downtown Milwaukee, and construction vehicles have begun crisscrossing the site of the new Bucks arena. Project proponents say it will ensure the team's success and be a source of pride for the community. But first, the neighborhood must live through disruptions the project will cause over the next two years.

If you want to picture just how the arena project may impact neighbors, consider this statement from Bucks' co-owner Wes Edens: "What you're standing in right now will be one of the biggest construction sites in Milwaukee and in the state of Wisconsin." Edens addressed the crowd gathered for the team's block party and groundbreaking last month.

The site is vast, because it will become home not just to the Bucks' arena, but also the team’s training facility and a new parking garage. The head of Milwaukee's Department of Public Works, GhassanKorban, says the city wants the work to go as smoothly as possible.

"We have three major projects happening within three square blocks from each other, impacting, obviously, a lot of surrounding infrastructure and streets and sidewalks," Korban says.

Korban says people who live or work nearby may already have noticed changes, such as "the removal of a large, 84-inch storm sewer that's been relocated to clear the path for the project. We have moved a lot of signals, a lot of hydrants, and then we have closed some sidewalks in order to create a footprint for the construction."

The city is responsible for the infrastructure, and for road closures at times, such as when trucks deliver massive pieces of equipment.

"Those will happen, a day here and a day there, but not on a permanent basis," Korban says.

Janice Falkenberg is MATC's liaison with the Bucks. The technical college sits right across the street from the construction site. She says the campus already has experienced road closures and other disruptions.

"The parking lot kitty-corner from us has been shut down, so that has impacted some of our students in terms of parking -- and employees, because they also had parked on that surface lot," Falkenberg says.

Yet Falkenberg says a problem more pressing than parking may be the noise during pile driving, when construction crews drill long metal pipes into the ground. It’ll go on all day, for weeks. Falkenberg says it could be so disruptive that MATC may need to move classes to its three other campuses.

"Obviously, that would be an inconvenience for students who are used to coming downtown to (move) them off to our other regional campuses, but I'm not sure that any other space we have downtown would get away from the noise, because we are right in the heart of it," Falkenberg says.

The firm serving as construction manager for the arena project says it's talking regularly with neighbors, letting them know what to expect. Lynn Littlejohn is Mortenson's director of community affairs.

"There could be like a vibration that goes on all day as that pile driving goes on, and so it's communicating that kind of information," Littlejohn says.

Littlejohn says the company is installing sensors on buildings to check for damage, and would make repairs.

While there are potential drawbacks for neighbors, Janice Falkenberg of MATC points out that the college adapted in the 1950s, when what's now the UWM Panther Arena went up, and again when the Bradley Center was built, a few decades ago.

"We've been here 100 years, so we've been through a lot," Falkenberg says.

This time, Falkenberg adds, MATC wants to take advantage of being so close to a big development.

"We're going to try to increase visibility of programs that are visible from street level, so that people will start getting a better understanding of what we do, so as they visit down here, they'll see our campus, they'll want to be a part of it," Falkenberg says.

Ann-Elise is WUWM's news director.
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