Birren and Son

Andrea Fencl/ Enterprise 
 Staff OCONOMOWOC — Regarding the continual transformations in 
 downtown Oconomowoc, many residents have voiced their 
 concerns about the future appearance and infrastructure 
 of the area. “The City Planning Commission really needs to get it 
 together and think of the city’s aesthetic as a whole. 
 There’s no need for more eyesore condos downtown,” Jacob 
 Strunk said. Among the updates, Spinnakers Restaurant and Bar went 
 out of business in mid-February of 2016 and plans for 
 the site of the restaurant include a 21-unit condominium 
 building. Many people expressed concerns about the condominium 
 developments downtown.“I 
 hate it,” Lisa Birren, resident for eight years, said. 
 “I just feel like it takes up too much space, that new 
 condo they just put up, the Gateway Apartments. There’s 
 more people and it feels like it’s becoming 
 overpopulated.” Storefronts 
 located on East Wisconsin Avenue in Oconomowoc.Andrea Fencl/ Enterprise 
 Staff There were also individuals who didn’t mind the 
 condominiums.“I 
 like that they’re building the condos,” Jessica Hanon, 
 resident for four years, said. “I wouldn’t build too 
 many of them but some are good.”“I 
 just saw that they were going to be knocking down 
 Spinnakers to put up a new condo complex,” Jack Birren, 
 husband of Lisa Birren and also a resident for eight 
 years, said. “The only thing I like about that, that I 
 saw, was that the restaurants they were trying to tie in 
 with the veterans’ affairs, but I just read it quickly.”The 
 proposed structure for the old Spinnakers location 
 includes a new restaurant and a space for the American 
 Legion Post 91. A sale has yet to be finalized for the 
 purchase of the old Spinnakers bui... (Greater Milwaukee Today)

Ted Birren, director of operations for Township High School District 214, said the aquatic facility was shuttered last month after a maintenance worker noticed that the pool was requiring an abundance of extra water to maintain its proper levels, something that indicated a leak."Any malfunction comes as a surprise, but we handle them across the district in various shapes and forms," Birren said. "This one had so much more impact and was more noticeable because it affected all the schools in the district, not just Prospect and Hersey."After the district contacted the general contractor for the pool project, Pepper Construction, sub-contractor crews dug up a section of the pool deck in late November, breaking up the concrete and tile, and reaching 2 1/2 feet underground to the piping, where Birren said they discovered the cause of the leak – a broken weld on a gutter connection.As the pool project is still within its one-year warranty period, the repairs to the leak will not result in any additional costs to the district, Birren said."We wouldn't venture to guess how it happened," Birren said, adding that the leaking water was transported as designed to fall into the pool's under-structure, which includes a drainage system and limestone.Birren said while the repair to the leak was completed by Nov. 30, the pool needed to remain closed until the water temperatures and chemical levels reached the required levels.The facility, called a natatorium, is shared by students from Prospect and John Hersey High School, who alternate their practice times and home meets for the girls and boys swimming, diving and water polo teams.The taxpayer-funded facility, which opened in early August, was paid for with money from the district's reserves as part of District 214's capital projects program, officials said.The indoor pool facility includes a 25-yard pool holding 500,000 gallons of water and features eight lanes, three diving boards and seating for 500 spectators at a competition, officials said.Patty Pollina, whose son and daughter are members of... (Chicago Tribune)