Fifth district alder for the city of Racine, Jens Jorgensen is in here.
This is your second go round in here, right?
I think possibly third.
Yeah, I think so.
Okay, well, now here's the rule.
We have to be nice to you the first one or two times.
After that, hold nothing holds.
We just let loose and we... Lay it on me, I'm ready.
Actually, no, we have a lot of interesting topics to talk about.
The first one is something I heard recently.
I saw recently, I'm coming down Main Street and I see these blinking lights.
on the on this on the cross, you know, the the stoplights there on the pedestrian pedestrian lights and they're blinking lights and my wife and I are looking at that saying, what is that?
Because I heard the ones downtown, they make noise.
Right.
But these were blinking like the flashing lights and it was on Main Street by the zoo.
Yes.
So there's two of them that are up.
They are the first in the city and very, very exciting.
They are pedestrian crossing beacons is the very fun name for them.
But really what they're there for
is when you're going across the street and the two intersections that they're at right now are Augusta in Maine and Walton in Maine, over by the zoo and North Beach and a zoo beach, everything that's over there, tons of things that people are walking to.
And this was a big thing for me.
This is what I really wanted to work on.
And this actually came from a resident.
I'll never forget it.
I was knocking on doors.
I was on Main Street.
And a lady said, you know, I have a big picture window in front of my house, and I sit here all day and watch people walk around.
And somebody needs to do something.
I've watched people stand on Main Street and try to cross for 10 minutes or more at a time.
It's just not safe.
Why can't we get it so that going towards the lake where everyone walks in this neighborhood, why can't we make it safer?
And I got to work on it.
I said, you know what?
I can't agree more with it.
I've been working on this since I got elected.
That's how long it took, but we were able to get it in the budget last year and they were installed before 4th of July.
And so it's really, in my mind, one of the first big steps that we're able to take towards making Racine more pedestrian friendly.
And I saw it, I didn't know what it was.
And then I remember you telling me something about that at the 4th of July get together.
And I said, that must be what he's talking about.
It was weird to see it.
My wife always hits that button.
On the crosswalk, you know, they are the metal button there.
I got to tell you something up until now, I always thought that's not hooked up to anything.
It's put there just so people can say, all right, now I'm going to hit the button.
You've got to wait anyway.
It's not like it's instant.
It doesn't turn the lights instantly.
But there's a good idea.
Well, thank you.
Yeah.
Knees, I can confirm the button does
work.
I watched
those dummy buttons they put it on.
All right.
Just glue it to the thing there.
People won't know it all hit it and they'll wait and they'll be happy.
Yeah, I watched them program it.
They were they they set it up.
No, it's it's hooked up because yeah, it's it's different than a stoplight.
And a lot of people remember there used to be a stoplight at Walton.
And so this brings some of that functionality where it allows a break in traffic to help bring those those flashing signs when you press the button.
So it's easier to get across the street.
Let's talk about the crosswalk.
You have your
at Melvin and Erie.
Yes, that was another one.
So a big thing that I've been pushing for in the Fifth District and Citywide.
really is we've got to make it easier for people to get around the city and walk, riding bicycles, you name it.
And so that one always perplexed me.
If you know that intersection, Melvin and Erie, it's two bigger cross streets, so it's a wide intersection.
And there is a church on the corner there that doesn't really have a lot of their own parking.
So there's a lot of street parking for the parishioners.
And every Sunday, in fact, that was another one, especially I'd be knocking doors.
And I'd be seeing everyone leaving church service.
They would be going in their cars and they'd be trying to walk across the street.
And it was just such a huge intersection.
I said, why is that not painted?
Out of all the intersections, why can't we get this one painted where there's, you know, 50 people every Sunday morning walking in and out of the church.
Why can't we get that done?
And so I was very thankful that we were to also get that done.
So your wife went out there with a can of paint and a brush and a roller and put the
Is it that difficult to get the crosswalks painted?
Yeah,
unfortunately, it was
not... Why is it so difficult?
You know, I don't know.
In fact, I even found additional money.
There was a stationary fund in the city council budget that was for stationery, I guess, for council members.
I was going to use that towards more crosswalk paint and was told, no, no, no, we have enough paint.
It's okay.
That's not the problem.
Well, then why can't we just paint it?
What's the problem?
You know, I am not sure other than from what I can tell, the gears of local government sometimes turn slower than they should.
And so I was able to really, that was a big thing for me because we want younger families.
We want families to want to relocate here and want to stay here.
And a big thing nowadays is they want a walkable neighborhood.
come to Racine, they see the beach, and they go, oh my gosh, you can walk to the lake, we can walk to the zoo.
Well, you gotta get across the Speedway that is Main Street first to get there.
I know, I live there.
Yeah, you get a front row seat to it.
And so anything we can do like that, that really, I think, helps to make it easier to get around and walk around.
And the same goes for seniors.
I see seniors walking their dogs, walking around the neighborhood all the time.
And the idea that we can't make it a little bit safer to get around is just preposterous.
And so thankfully we've been able to get that done and put in place.
But it doesn't stop here.
This is just the first step of many in my mind to make it a more walkable and pedestrian friendly city.
Just don't get the people who painted the reflecting pool.
Yeah, we don't want all of a sudden the paint.
Where's the crosswalk?
It was just painted through a few days and then it's all peeled up and gone
when they do
paint They do a
fantastic job of painting them.
Yeah, do it, right?
I see that I see them do it all the time painting the lines right before the 4th of July parade They're always painting the lines down Main Street.
Yes, they always make them nice and clean for the parade and I watch them do it and it's
really a neat process on how they got the truck going.
They got to keep the truck straight so there's no zig-zagging of the lines on the road.
We're talking to Fifth District Alder, Jens Jorgensen, and we've got a whole bunch of topics we're going to discuss in just a few minutes, including these scooters and e-bikes all over the road.
You have a different take on it than I do.
Anyway, National Night Advocate at Lakeview Park, and we're going to talk about road construction.
City of Racine, Fifth District Alder Jens Jorgensen joining us this morning.
Let's talk about
A few other topics here.
If we'll get to Lakeview Park, the scooters and the e-bikes.
Now, you own an e-bike.
I didn't know that.
I own an e-bike, in fact.
But you're an adult with a license.
Absolutely.
Some of these people I see on these scooters are kids at 12, 13 years old without a license.
And they're weaving in and out of Main Street, just weaving all over the place.
And two got killed, one in Milwaukee, one in Kenosha.
So it's dangerous.
They didn't stop at the sign and truck killed them.
And it's going to happen when you don't know the rules of the road.
And I think to be on the road, you should know them.
Absolutely.
No, I mean, that is Wisconsin.
A lot of this is something that has come up quite a bit in the fifth district.
And there is already a law on this.
So in Wisconsin, we follow the E3 e-bike class system.
So class one is you can pedal up to 20 miles an hour with the pedal assist.
Class two is you could pedal up to 28 miles an hour with the pedal assist, and class three is it can go up to 20 miles an hour with a throttle.
Now, where I think the problem comes in especially is, I've seen a lot of those same kids through the neighborhood, I get a lot of calls about those kids.
They're going a lot faster than 28 miles an hour.
Well, also not being older than the 16, so they have no real rules with the road experience, no driving experience, on what is basically an electric motorcycle.
I mean, a lot of these, or in some cases, there's a couple of the gas ones that go through the neighborhood.
They've taken the exhaust off them, and it's just total chaos out there, and we have to do something about it.
I've talked
with the police.
And also the stand-up scooters, not the e-bikes, but the scooters, they used to rent them on the lakefront.
I don't think they'd do it anymore, do they?
No, we don't have that
agreement anymore.
They stopped doing it.
But they're on these scooters, and I told you I was on Wisconsin Avenue, heading toward the cornhouse.
And he was just weaving back and forth in front of me, taunting me on this scooter until he finally pulled off to the side.
And I don't want to hurt anybody.
And I don't know if he's going to pull back in in front of me again.
And he's a kid.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, I've talked with the police department on this.
In fact, there's we're scheduling another meeting to talk about it because.
Look, e-bikes and those e-scooters, when done right and written responsibly and following the rules that we have for them, they can be a great way to get around town, do it eco-consciously, but also with the price of gas.
I mean, who wouldn't want to be able to get around?
I appreciate going to city council meetings, riding my bike, not
using it.
Can you picture me on one of those scooters?
Be honest.
Can you picture this in your head without laughing?
They have all kinds of scooters.
In fact, I bought my my e-bike at the Indian dealer.
They sell the they sell nets where I got mine downtown and they were great.
I will find me the right one.
Let's talk about
these loud cars.
Now, I live on Main Street and I know the motorcycles are allowed to get away with it.
That's the sound of the Harleys.
And I understand that they were allowed.
Some of these cars, they add these things onto the mufflers.
and it is loud and a lot of backfiring and it sounds like gunshots because they backfire and they do it on purpose.
Is there any rules about those type of things?
Yeah.
So those are, those are absolutely illegal.
There's, I think there's any number of them.
Once again, I've talked to the police department on this as well, too, of, you know, modifying the exhaust is one thing.
And, and, you know, to get it to do that, a lot of times you're, um, I would have to stir up in the piece or any of that.
I mean, my, I have a dog that is traumatized with the car backfire.
Oh
yeah.
And she, uh, also veterans, some with PTSD, PTSD, they, they have that backfire to get upset.
And my daughter Bonnie, when she was a newborn, we brought her home, just pictured two parents, lack of sleep.
We were struggling on it.
We just get her to bed.
And there goes a car flying down the road, bang, bang, bang, bang.
And there Bonnie's back up again.
So when you're thinking about chopping off the exhaust on your car to make it backfire and do all these
things.
How do
they do it?
Well, oh yeah, they do, they'll replace the exhaust or cutting off the exhaust.
What's the purpose of it?
I don't know.
That's what my wife always asks me.
She goes, what?
It sounds broken.
It is.
I don't know what I know.
You know, kids maybe want to do it.
I don't get the adults doing it though.
That's what I don't get.
Yeah, well, Nadia Jorgensen thinks your car is broken when it's going down the street with the misfiring and the banging around, all of it.
So she and I and Sally and Bonnie are not a fan.
Let's talk about Lakeview Park.
Yes, that was another one.
We talk about things we got done in the
last budget.
You talked about the
playground.
Yes.
Yeah, that was a budget item that we were able to get past in the last city budget.
And it was another one where I was knocking on doors and a number of constituents had said, or soon to be constituents had said, look, why can't we get that done?
That playground equipment has served its life.
And then some that was there previously.
And it's such a premier location in the city.
It's really a spot where you go to the zoo, you go to North Beach.
You see this playground that's in need of repair, and so that was a big thing for me when
I...
Not repair, replacement.
Replacement, yes.
When I had gone and been asked, you know, what are some items that are important to me for the next budget cycle, that was towards the top of my list for sure of, we've got to be able to get this done.
We've got to find a way, and it was kind of like how you're seeing it done now.
We got the first phase done.
We took out what was there.
We put in brand new equipment.
But going forward, there'll be future phases where we continue to add to it and make it even better than it is now.
Because I haven't driven past it since it's been done, where I haven't seen kids
playing.
And not when I'm filling up at the Sit-Go station there on the corner.
I'm watching it.
And there's just tons of kids who aren't on computers, aren't on their cell phones, aren't watching television.
Listening to the radio is okay, kids.
But, you know, I'm...
It was like a Simpsons episode when the electricity went out in Springfield and the kids had nothing to do.
So they went outside and you got an aerial view of Springfield.
They're playing outside, they're playing ball, they're playing hopscotch, because there was no electricity.
The TVs didn't work, computers, nothing worked.
So they're outside playing.
And I said, every time I passed by, I said, look, those are kids that are not hanging around their electronics.
They're out there getting exercise in the sun.
Or dangerously riding
e-bikes through the streets.
They're playing at the park where they should be.
And it's a perfect spot right across from the zoo.
Perfect spot.
With the zoo in North Beach, I mean, it's all right there.
It's
a
perfect spot for it.
And I was just so thankful that we were able to get that, that replaced and the new equipment put in there.
And the parks department did a fantastic job on picking the right equipment and putting it together.
It's clearly very popular with kids.
National Night Out.
I remember this years and years ago, National Night Out was sit on your porch, turn on your street there, your porch light.
And that's National Night Out against crime.
That was the original name of it.
Let's talk about that.
Yeah, so tonight there'll be plenty of block parties throughout the city.
You can go to the, I saw the Racine Police Department posted a list of where the official locations are, but then there'll also be neighborhood block parties too.
So there'll be ones potentially on your block or close by.
I know I'll be around to as many as I can get to tonight through the fifth district.
There's a whole bunch of them.
And I just think it's great how we do it.
I love the fact that
you can go to a lot of the community centers and do the larger ones there, but then there's truly just neighbors having a national night out.
They get together, there's brats being grilled up.
One
of the ones- All right, stop or they got
me.
You got me at brats.
Well, brats, and then some of
the, one of the ones in the fifth district, some of the best tacos I've ever had.
Hold it, you got me at
tacos too.
Hold on, go ahead.
Yes, they just, it's good food, good times.
Neighbors hanging out, truly getting to know each other.
I think it's one of the many things that makes Racine great.
I really love how close-nip it seems Racine is.
I know all my neighbors' names.
We all take care of each other.
And you don't really get that everywhere.
I talked to some of my friends who have bought houses in other cities and live in other parts of the state.
And they don't know their neighbors.
They maybe will wave to them.
They'll see each other around.
I couldn't imagine a world where I didn't have
my neighbors around me.
I'm very lucky.
My neighbors on either side of me are wonderful people across the street, wonderful people.
One of my neighbors there, she was with me when I was taking care of my mother when she passed away.
She's just a wonderful human being, the whole family.
And I'm just very lucky because you can have neighbors and fight all the time.
And I'm lucky I don't have that.
Yes.
No, I'm very thankful that I mean we are.
So.
My wife and I take full advantage.
We have a lot of our neighbors love watching our daughter Bonnie.
And so it's really great.
I mean, I just I couldn't imagine a world where we didn't live in the neighborhood we live in.
It is good.
Yeah, it is really good.
And so National Night Out, I really think is a good way to promote that and connect you with your neighbors.
So maybe if you don't know your neighbors now, go walk around tonight.
Go find a neighborhood block party.
Go to the one of the ones at one of the community centers.
Like I said, the Racine Police Department had posted those locations.
Go talk with some of your neighbors.
Get to know them.
Racine's a real friendly place.
It is.
Thank you for coming in.
Thanks for having me.
I think we got everything on the list.
I think we did.
And then some.
Yes.
Well, I'm surprised you didn't ask me about the manhole covers on Main Street.
Did
we do that off the air we talked
about?
That one we talked off the air.
But yes, that's one of the things where you asked, well, how did it take so long to get a crosswalk painted?
How does it take so long to get these manhole covers?
How
do they get them at the right height?
I guess if you take it off and you
put little wedges.
Yeah,
I've seen it a
couple ways where sometimes they'll put like the asphalt in there to kind of make
it.
And there's one in your district right before you get to Gould.
There's one of those above the ground, below the ground.
So I, my district
starts at North of Gould.
So if it's, is it South of Gould?
We're
at South of
Gould.
That's my friend David Mack.
But him and I have talked about it because
I run over them too.
In fact, I will run over all of them on the way home after this.
I'll be hitting them all and every time I hit it in the chat rattles the fillings in my teeth, I think of Don Rosen.
No, no, you should think of David Mack.
Yes, well, yes,
and DPW.
I've made the request many times and I'm sure David has as well.
I just, man, those are, those are absolutely terrible.
Moynih got me fired up.
Yeah, that's a good way to, and I ruined it.
We had such a good moment, and it tanned
it on, and Racine's a real friendly place.
I was willing to stop the conversation there, and you had to bring up the manhole coverage again.
I know.
You've promised me on day one that you'll never have me on, and it won't come up,
and I was
surprised.
I was like, oh my gosh,
she's going to miss it.
I didn't realize we talked about it during the break, sometimes I forget.
Jens Jorgensen, who is our fifth district alder in Racine, and radio.
People in your family, your dad was Andy Jorgensen.
Yes.
Radio
personality.
Andy Arbuckle when he was on the air.
Andy Arbuckle?
Yes, Andy Arbuckle.
Okay.
He got radio in your blood.
Yes, absolutely.
No, I remember going to the radio station and growing up.
I've been around it my whole life.
Well,
thank you for coming in.
Thanks
for having me.
I'm going to have you back.
I'm going to talk about those manhole covers again.
Spend more time with them.
And the potholes, too.
And the railroad crossings.
Yes.
Yeah.
All of them.
We got everything in.
Potholes, manhole covers and railroad crossings.
Oh, my.
Say hello to your wife for me, Nadia.
I just, when I met her at the Fourth of July, I think, there's a song named after you, Nadia's theme.
She never heard of it.
No, no.
It was a hit song.
Yeah.
Top of the charts.
Thank you very much, Jen.
Thanks for having me.
Jen Storgensen, Fifth District Altar for the City of Racine.