The property at 7746 Menomonee River Parkway, just north of the Harmonee Avenue bridge, has been vacant since the city purchased it in 2020, tore down an old office building there and began seeking proposals.
The city was able to identify just enough space outside of the flood plain and south of the parking lot to fit two single-occupancy restrooms, though installation is at least nine months off.
In a Common Council discussion, members seemed to circle a central tension: The prospect of a consolidated department is filled with uncertainty, and may be inevitable.
The Board of Review also accepted 58 stipulations, or voluntary downward adjustments to the assessments that were sent to all city property owners in July.
A combined department could realize savings of $7 million in the first five years, the study concluded. The public is invited to learn more about the proposal at meetings in September.
The FEMA teams are working in collaboration with state and county emergency management officials to assess the damage from the flooding to determine whether it merits a presidential disaster declaration.
The California-based TOSA Foundation was founded by Wauwatosa natives John and Tashia Morgridge, who previously have given generously to community projects in their hometown.
Wauwatosa property owners received new assessments in July that increased on average 54% from the old assessments, though individual increases have varied.
The dramatic filling of Tosa Village's flood plain on Aug. 10 may have demonstrated what flood mitigation projects were designed to do - minimize the damage to homes and businesses.
