Safety Commission Meeting — Minutes

Safety Commission MEETING MINUTES May 13, 2026 - 6:00 PM Safety Building 16300 W. National Ave. MINUTES 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:06 pm, by Mary English. 2. ROLL CALL; DECLARATION OF QUORUM; PUBLIC NOTICE Present: Mary English, Chuck Garrigues, Charlotte Kroupa (Alderwoman), Mitchell Lataille, Jim Oldham, Lucas Pichler (DPW), Dave Rocklewitz (NBPD), Justin Schulpius (NBFD), Tammy Simonson (Engineering) Not Present: Marcus Grimm, Matt Newman (SDNB) 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. April 8, 2026 Meeting Minutes MOTION: Motion to approve Motion by: Alderperson Kroupa Second by: Battalion Chief Schulpius VOTE: Motion Passed 9-0 4. OLD BUSINESS A. None 5. NEW BUSINESS A. 26-5: A resident has requested the addition of a “No Engine Braking” sign on eastbound Cleveland Avenue, west of New Berlin West Middle/High School (18695 W. Cleveland Avenue). Mitchell Lataille advised it was his belief that the Safety Commission had already previously discussed approving “No Engine Braking” signs, which resulted multiple signs being installed throughout New Berlin. Lucas Pichler confirmed that there were several “No Engine Braking” signs installed at strategic locations throughout the City. Pichler also added Cleveland Avenue was a County highway; therefore, the New Berlin Safety Commission did not have the authority to approve a sign at the requested location. Pichler further added that the primary influx of engine braking at the requested location was most likely related to a short-term construction project at Deer Haven Golf Course. Tammy Simonson added based on the complaint, she had already reached out the contractor of the Deer Haven Golf Course project, who advised he/she would speak with the project’s truck drivers about the existing “No Engine Braking” ordinance. MOTION: Motion to remove the item from the agenda and take no further action. Motion by: DPW Director Pichler Second by: Staff Designee Rocklewitz VOTE: Motion Passed 9-0 B. 26-6: A resident has requested consideration of safety improvements for pedestrians on Cleveland Avenue, specifically at the intersections adjoining Brookside Pkwy and 149th Street. Dave Rocklewitz advised this request was made by Alderwoman Gardner, on behalf of constituent. Rocklewitz added that he had already been in contact with Alderwoman Gardner and advised her that it would be added to the agenda but because Cleveland Avenue was a County highway, the New Berlin Safety Commission probably did not have the authority to approve changes at requested location. Tammy Simonson added based on the complaint, she had already reached out to the County’s Department of Public Works (DPW) Director (via email) to advise him/her of the concern and to have the item potentially placed on the County’s Safety Commission agenda for discussion. Simonson advised she had not received a response from the County’s DPW Director but planned to follow up with him/her. MOTION: Motion to remove the item from the agenda, knowing that the City’s Engineering Department would be following up with the County’s DPW Motion by: City Engineer Simonson Second by: Staff Designee Rocklewitz VOTE: Motion Passed 9-0 C. 26-7: A resident has requested the addition of stop signs at the intersection of Coachlight Drive and Heritage Lane. Lucas Pichler advised this request came via an online reporting system. Pichler advised the Safety Commission discussed the same request in 2020, and again in November 2025. Pichler added although the discussion in 2020 did not result in the addition of stop signs or yield signs, the traffic study results indicated the intersection was close to warranting the addition of signs. Pichler proposed that a new traffic study be conducted at the intersection of Coachlight Drive and Heritage Lane, particularly because of the multiple recent requests for traffic control signs at the intersection and because the most recent traffic study results were from more than five years earlier. MOTION: Motion to have the Engineering Department conduct a traffic study at the intersection of Coachlight Drive and Heritage Lane VOTE: Motion by: Alderperson Kroupa Second by: Commissioner Garrigues Motion Passed 9-0 6. TABLED ITEMS A. 25-8: A resident (via Alderman Stribl) has requested a yield sign be added at the intersection of Marin Way and Langlade Drive. MOTION: Motion to remove item from table for discussion and possible action Motion by: Alderperson Kroupa Second by: Staff Designee Rocklewitz VOTE: Motion Passed 9-0 Tammy Simonson provided the City of New Berlin Two-Way Stop/Yield Guidelines that were created from the traffic study. Simonson advised there had been zero crashes at the intersection of Marin Way and Langlade Drive in the previous five years; therefore, stop signs and/or yield signs were not warranted for the intersection based on crash history. Simonson advised based on the average traffic volume for northbound and southbound Langlade Drive (1307 vehicles per day) and eastbound and westbound Marin Way/Courtland Pkwy (831 vehicles per day), stop signs were considered to possibly be warranted. Mitchell Lataille asked if adding stop signs to the intersection could lead to crashes. Simonson and Lucas Pichler both advised adding stop signs could result in crashes. Pichler advised he had a concern with adding stop signs at the intersection, particularly because drivers traveling westbound on Courtland Pkwy and then turning right onto Langlade Drive would most likely not want to obey the stop sign. Pichler further advised that because of that, if stop signs were added at the intersection, it would need to be a four-way stop, not a two-way stop. Mary English expressed her concerns about how much signage was already on Courtland Pkwy, as well as the two merging roadways of Courtland Pkwy just east of Langlade Drive and believed adding stop signs would only make the roadway more confusing. Pichler agreed with English’s comments about the amount of signage and the unique roadway design of Courtland Pkwy. English asked if stop signs were the suggestion or if yield signs were an option. Pichler advised that based on the traffic study, stop signs would be the only appropriate option. Pichler also added that based on the traffic study, the three viable options would be to recommend the addition of a four-way stop, a two-way stop, or leave the intersection uncontrolled. English asked how to determine what the best option. Pichler advised there was no way to determine which option would be most successful; however, again repeated that there was no crash history in the previous five years. Lataille suggested that if there was no apparent issue with the intersection to leave it as is. Chuck Garrigues added that the local traffic, who most likely comprised most drivers, probably understood the current intersection design. Charlotte Kroupa advised she agreed with Lataille’s thoughts. Pichler advised although the Stop/Yield Guidelines did not fall in the “Stop Control” recommended zone, he understood the justification for the consideration of stop signs. English advised based on her personal observations of the intersection of Marin Way and Langlade Drive, it appeared drivers were very cautious when approaching the intersection. Pichler advised that there was significant data to show that when intersections are uncontrolled, drivers approach the intersections with more caution. Kroupa asked if speeding was an issue. Simonson advised speeding was not an issue, based on the traffic study. MOTION: Motion to take no action, based on the current data VOTE: Motion by: City Engineer Simonson Second by: Staff Designee Rocklewitz Motion Passed 9-0 B. 25-10: A resident (via Alderman Horbinski) has requested a sign to monitor vehicles’ speeds or stop signs in the area of Crawford Drive and Long Acre Drive. MOTION: Motion to remove item from table for discussion and possible action Motion by: Alderperson Kroupa Second by: Staff Designee Rocklewitz VOTE: Motion Passed 9-0 Tammy Simonson provided the City of New Berlin Two-Way Stop/Yield Guidelines and speed data analysis that were created from the traffic study. Simonson advised there had been zero crashes at the intersection of Crawford Drive and Long Acre Drive in the previous five years; therefore, stop signs and/or yield signs were not warranted for the intersection based on crash history. Simonson advised based on the average traffic volume for Long Acre Drive (80 vehicles per day), no additional control measures were recommended. Simonson also added that based on the speed data analysis, speeding was not a concern in the area of the request. MOTION: Motion to take no action, based on the data VOTE: Motion by: Staff Designee Rocklewitz Second by: Commissioner English Motion Passed 9-0 C. 25-18: Members of the Rogers Glen Homeowners Association have requested stop signs be added at the intersection of Mill Creek Trail and Two Ponds Court, due to concerns of increased traffic, speeding, and blind spots at the intersection. Item not discussed 7. SET MEETING DATE A. Wednesday, June 10, 2026 8. ADJOURN MOTION: Motion to adjourn at 6:34 PM Motion by: Alderperson Kroupa Second by: Board Member Oldham VOTE: Motion Passed 9-0 Respectfully Submitted, Capt. Dave Rocklewitz, Safety Secretary