ocono.com

We were saddened, but not surprised, when General Growth Properties left Oconomowoc and Pabst Farms holding a bag full of broken promises last fall, pulling out of a multi-million dollar development deal that could have put a world-class mall on the city’s south side.
It seems that the good city of Oconomowoc isn’t General Growth’s only jilted lover. According to some wackadoo real-estate focused subsidiary of the Wall Street Journal General Growth has also left the city of Detroit standing at the development alter.

In Detroit, General Growth has pushed back the construction of the Shoppes at Gateway Park, a 330,000-square-foot open-air mall.

It’s fortunate, then, that the bizarre funding scheme that paid for the the development of Pabst Farms’ infrastructure is on track to be paid back, regardless of the construction of whatever “mall-terantives” are in the works.
Because there is no pressure on city leaders to scrape up tax revenue at any cost, project planning can be done smartly; leaders are free to hold developers to high ideals. Good for them.
Frankly, we just want that west-bound entrance ramp to I-94 on Sawyer Road. If it takes a mall to get it there, so be it.

We were just alerted to a new site, Oconomowoc Listens.

They even got a nice little write-up for their brand new site: New Oconomowoc blog site set for public discussion; Site provides place for public debate on hot issues.

I mean, sure… ocono.com is coming up on it’s 3rd year of existence, and the site has languished a bit in recent times, but who knows what 2008 will bring. We may just revive the site and forge full-speed ahead… or we might sell it. We’re not sure yet. Either way, watch this space for details…

Friend of ocono.com mainfr4me has planned the second OconomoPhotoWalk, and even though it will not be in Oconomowoc, it’ll be worth attending. (Not sure what a photowalk is? See our first OconomoPhotoWalk post.)

This one will take place Sunday, January 13, 2008 at 1PM. We plan to meet at Nashota Park. There is a $5 entrance fee to the park unless you have a Waukesha County Parks sticker (not a Wisconsin State Parks sticker.) If you want to carpool in and save costs, meet at the park & ride lot at HWY 16 and C around 12:45.

Besides photo opps, there is a sledding hill at the park, so if you want to make a day of it, bring a sled as well as a camera. (Er, if we have any snow…)

More info? See the discussion on Flickr.

This coming Saturday, December 1st, 2007 at 3:00 PM is the annual Oconomowoc Christmas Parade.

We (being ocono.com and 2XL Networks) may or may not be appearing in the parade this year. Once again, keep a look out for the silver Honda CR-V, that would be us. (If we’re not in the parade, then look for us standing on the sidewalk on Oakwood Avenue.)

The first OconomoPhotoWalk happened on Sunday, November 18th, 2007, and it was a great success.

While we only had 7 people show up, we had a good time, and took a lot of photos. You can see them in Flickr’s Oconomowoc Group.

We had a few cancellations, some due to the cold, but for those that came, we got some exercise, shot some photos, and made new friends. We’ll be planning another one, but we may wait until it warms up a bit. Thanks to all who came…

What is a Photowalk? “Photowalking is the act of walking with a camera for the main purpose of taking pictures of things you may find interesting.”

The Oconomowoc Group on Flickr is planning it’s first photowalk. We’ve scheduled it for Sunday, November 18th, 2007. We plan to meet at 10AM at the gazebo on Fowler Lake, and then do a walk around the lake, taking many photos. We’d like you to join us, it’ll be a fun time.

Don’t worry, if you can’t make it you’ll still be able to see all of the photos we take when they are posted to Flickr. (If you’re a photography nut, you might consider joining the group.)

Halloween weekend is here, so plan accordingly! It all happens Saturday, October 27, 2007.

These are the events you wont want to miss:

• Business Trick or Treat - 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
• Halloween Parade - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
• Residential Trick or Treat - 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

I constantly head about the Pabst Farms Mall project either going forward, or being canceled. What is going on?

There’s much debate about if the mall will be good or bad for the area. Opinions are strong, while some have take a “wait and see” approach.

What do you think? Do you want a mall at Pabst Farms?

Chili’s has broke ground at it’s new location in Oconomowoc. They’ll be located near Waukesha State Bank.

If you’re getting off the freeway for a stop in Oconomowoc, Chili’s will be the first restaurant choice you see, which seems like a good advantage for them.

What’s next? Well, we still have Unique Pizza and Subs to look forward to.

Oconomowoc Motorsports is no more… They’ve closed their doors. So if you’re looking for an ATV or scooter, you’ll need to go elsewhere. I was surprised to see them close, since it seemed as though I was seeing more and more scooters on the road of Oconomowoc lately, due to high gas prices I had assumed. I guess I was wrong. (But I’m still in the market for a used scooter!)