WEST ALLIS — In West Allis, there’s a growing movement.
"You have to be a part of the changes that you want made," Mandi Bandt-Port said.
The movement - creating active and strong neighborhood associations.
“We contacted people in the neighborhood when they wanted to build a middle school in the park," Barb Januziak said.
By fostering a sense of camaraderie, you create a coalition of active neighbors who are more attuned to the community, and hopefully inspire others to create meaningful change.
“You’ve also heard it sometimes called like Dirty Stallis. How do you feel about that?” TMJ4's James Groh asked.
“We know it's not being said by somebody who is truly part of it. That's just your way of identifying as an outsider,’ Bandt-Port said.
In recent years, more organized neighborhood associations with formal boundaries, leadership, and action plans have been forming across West Allis, like Liberty Heights.
“Hi, I'm Mandi. This is Liberty Heights, and welcome to my block.”
I met with Mandi so she could show me her neighborhood through her eyes and experiences. Everywhere we went and who we talked to was all up to here. Welcome to Mandi’s neighborhood.
Mandi Bandt-Port
Mandi is a mom of three kids and has lived in Liberty Heights Park for six years. She grew up as a self-described army brat, living in a dozen different places. After living in so many cities, she said West Allis truly feels like home.
"Wanted a neighborhood that felt small but was also close to where we work, where we go to school, where everybody's friends are."
That's one of the reasons she got invested in her community. Mandi wanted to make her home and neighborhood the best possible version of itself. Additionally, it set an example for her kids to show them what it takes to make the change they wish to see.
"I think it's important for my kids to grow up seeing that it is your neighborhood. You live there. You're a part of it. Your voice matters," she said. "You can't simply expect city hall to do it all for you. We're all in this together."
That's one of the reasons the city wants to promote organizations like the Liberty Heights Park Neighborhood Association. Making change at a city level is important, but not always easy. To inspire hyper-local change, neighbors themselves are some of the best advocates. Plus, they will have a vested interest in making those improvements.
Other formal neighborhood organizations include: Rainbow Gardens, Orchard Hills, Conrad Gardens, City Center, East Allis, Wood Dale, and Fairiew Park.
"There are so many opportunities to get involved in different projects, work with different people," Mandi said.
Next on our tour of the neighborhood, Mandi met with a couple who have been part of the community for almost their entire lives.
Lisa and Josh Coons
Lisa and Josh Coons have been married for six years. They both grew up in and around West Allis. Together, they own Transaction Skate Shop.
“Definitely a good place to skate. There's a lot of camaraderie, like, a lot of people like helping each other out, and helping them learn new tricks, and just even like stoking people up, helping them up to do new stuff, or try new things. I think that's a good thing in skating," Josh Coons said.
As members of the neighborhood organization, they are hoping to expand the park and grow the skating community.
"I guess it shows West Allis that they support skateboarding, support biking, rollerblading, any extreme sport. We didn't have this growing up, and it's such a huge impact on the city," Lisa said. "Possibly, we want to bring more obstacles here, maybe more quarter pipes and ramps to get better flow."
Josh joked that the park in Liberty Heights keeps skaters from riding on rails, boxes, and ledges that the city doesn't want used in that way. And for Lisa, she has seen more and more young girls picking up the sport.
“Yea, I've seen a tremendous amount of people skateboarding now, especially younger girls. When I was younger, there was actually no girls skateboarding. It was just only me, but now there's a whole bunch of girls skateboarding, and they're starting younger, so that's happy to see.”
And for a couple of skaters to get married and own a skate shop together, it's basically the coolest thing possible.
“I guess a life dream as a skateboarder growing up. It's probably one of the coolest things I could ever ask for - being a skater, married to skater, owning a shop," Josh said.
After chatting with Josh and Lisa, the next stop was Lake Effect Coffee Shop to meet a newer neighbor.
Susan Olson
Susan Olson grew up in West Allis, but not in Liberty Heights. She was in the western part of town, which at the time was less developed. For the past 2.5 years, she has lived in an apartment complex in the heart of Liberty Heights.
"I'm a very active senior, and I'm not one to sit back and play bingo, and sit around waiting for life to sort of happen," she said.
Naturally, she got involved with the neighborhood organization. She appreciates the effort that the city is undertaking to foster community.
“Well, I really like how the city is reaching out to the community in a way that I don't remember when I was a young person living in this community," she said.
But the city can only do so much. To help grow the neighborhood organization, Liberty Heights residents took to social media to advertise their discussions and invite others to speak their mind.
“We just started having our meeting and posting them on Facebook, and here's what we want to talk about, and we want everyone in the area, everyone who has a voice, to come and share," Mandi said.
Because when you get neighbors sharing their concerns or celebrating local success stories, everyone becomes closer and more invested. It also encourages people to be more attentive to their surroundings.
“Opportunity to share what's on my mind about my community, about what's happening locally, and (Bandt-Port) does too, and the people involved, and that's how you build these relationships right and these connections," Susan said
They've created a space for people to share how the neighborhood could improve and create actionable items they can move forward on.
When we were finished at Lake Effect Coffee Shop, we grabbed our items and walked over to the resident gardener of Liberty Heights.
Barb Janusiak
Barb Janusiak definitely has a green thumb. She wears it proudly on her chest, literally.
"I think it says gardening because murder is wrong," Barb said about the phrase that was on her shirt.
"My sister gave it to me, and it's my favorite shirt."
Barb has lived in the neighborhood for 52 years. Like a good gardener, she has kept a watchful eye on her community.
"My husband and I got busy with the neighborhood when the Walgreens was going in because we didn't want another Walgreens," she said.
They were successful in preventing it from coming. And when there were potential plants to build a middle school in the Liberty Heights park, she rallied the community to stop that from happening, too.
"If you don't like how something's going, you better get involved, or it's going to happen around you," Barb said.
She is cultivating her neighborhood just like she does her garden.
"It's like beautifying your surroundings," she said.
Speaking of beautifying your surroundings, the next person we visited exemplifies what it means to be a steward of the community.
Ken Williams
Ken Williams has been in the neighborhood for nine years. He owns the fabled 'White House'. It got the name for its similarities to the presidential White House in Washington D.C.
While he has lived in many parts of the state, West Allis truly feels like home.
“Traveled a lot and lived in several areas around the Wisconsin area or Milwaukee area, including Wauwatosa. So that’s where I came from before moving here, and one of the things that I found better here again is the neighbors," he said.
That's partially due to luck, but the influence of the neighborhood organization can't be understated either. There's a sentiment that people, like Ken, want to improve their properties and, in turn, improve the community. Ken is the embodiment of a do-it-yourselfer.
“Beautiful home that was somewhat neglected over the years, and so, one, I want to restore the beauty that was there, but also I enjoy working with my hands and designing different things," he said about all the work he has done on his house.
He is building a garage in the backyard that has been dubbed by his neighbors the 'Garage Mahal' because of how big it will be. He also renovated the kitchen, built a second-story deck, a fire pit, fixed up the dining room, and built wine racks. Eventually, Ken has plans to redo the fireplace and build an outdoor fountain, too. He's beautifying the neighborhood in his own way, just like Barb Janusiak.
Beyond the visual improvements the neighbors make, many are keeping a watchful eye on the community.
"If there are issues, we all tend to know what's going on, and I think that's really a big thing in terms of community safety and just again feeling welcomed," he said.
From home projects to involvement with the neighborhood organization, Ken is fully committed to this neighborhood, potentially forever.
“Unless something changes in my life, I will probably be here. This is a good home base. I’ve done a lot of traveling, seen a lot of the world, and this is a nice place to come back to."
Finally, our last stop on the tour of Liberty Heights, we visited a cornerstone of the community - a 100-year-old restaurant.
Kegel's Inn
Kegel's Inn was started in 1924 by John T. Kegel, who immigrated to the United States from Austria. It began as a prohibition-era speakeasy that marketed itself as a 'soda pop shop'. The restaurant survived prohibition, economic downturns, wars, pandemics, and more. Now, it is run by fourth-generation owners Julian and his wife Stephanie Kegel. It's known for its German food and beer selection.
"We wouldn't be here for this long without the community support," Julian Kegel said.
The interior of the restaurant still looks like it did 100 years ago, with its painted walls and stained-glass windows. While much about the restaurant is old, it is constantly adapting and integrating into the community. It hosts a number of events from non-alcoholic drink tastings to an ice rink in the neighboring park to Oktoberfest celebrations. The restaurant has situated itself as the heart of the neighborhood.
"This is really where the community thrives," Kegel said.
The restaurant has been part of the neighborhood organization since basically day one. Kegel's has always been intimately involved in the community, so it just made sense to join.
"I've helped the community, they've helped us, so it's really been reciprocal," Kegel said.
One Last Question
As is tradition in the My Block series, the last word is always given to the tour guide of the My Block story. In this episode, that's Mandi Bandt-Port.
Before that happens, here is how you can be part of the award-winning series. Reach out to me, James Groh, to nominate your neighborhood or a neighbor to be featured in the next story. You can fill out this submission form or contact me at james.groh@tmj4.com or call/text at (414) 254-8145. The series covers all types of neighborhoods and communities. Previous examples include stories on the mother-daughter duo revitalizing Metcalfe Park, a rural neighborhood where the same families have lived for 186 years, how one woman is keeping a watchful eye on her neighborhood, the Dharmic temples of Pewaukee, how Latino immigrants adapt to life in Milwaukee, and many more. Watch the other 33 My Block stories here.
Now, back to Mandi Bandt-Port.
"Is there anything else you'd like to say about your neighborhood?" I asked her.
"I don't think I could sum up everything I think about my neighborhood in a few quick minutes. Other than, I really invite the people who have the comments about West Allis to come and give us a visit, and talk with us, connect with us, and then tell us what you think."
Watch the story to see more of Liberty Heights...
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