?: Grasslyn Manor
In 2023 and 2024, WaterMarks listened to neighbors of this chronically flooded Milwaukee neighborhood. Residents have banded together to “Build the Ark” to find new collective solutions to managing water and keeping their basements dry.
Meet Bernice. Bernice Marshall is a Green Bay Packers fan, proud family matriarch, and with her husband a 45-year homeowner in Milwaukee’s Grasslyn Manor neighborhood — which she affectionately compares to Mayberry, USA.
It’s a neighborhood where everyone knows everybody’s business and neighbors look out for each other. It’s also a neighborhood beset by chronic basement flooding. After multiple times bleaching her basement after flooding, “I own stock in Clorox,” she jokes.
“It’s scary anytime a storm is coming. I’ve been here for 45 years. Listen for the dryer — uh oh, the water got too high. To live that way — and pay taxes and live that way — I can’t be at peace when I see a storm. I’ve lost everything in my basement two times.”
Bernice’s story is common among the many neighbors raising their voices to seek solutions to wet basements. United, they are “Building the Ark” in the face of what might be best called Precipitation Anxiety.
Bernice Marshall
Bernice has suffered wet basements. "Spring is stressful. When it rains, it's like nervous and everything. Especially when you're replacing water heaters, furnaces, things that you can't replace.... When I see the sky clouding up, I get nervous."
Ron Fancher
Ron has suffered basement water damage and has spent a lot of money and time trying to implement solutions but it's been hard. “Two years ago we had a sump pump put in.... It's constantly got water. This thing goes off 24/7." Ron is married to Sheryl. He is a spiritual, religious person. "And over time you just learn that negativity doesn't solve problems."
Bill Van Haren
As the holder of the keys at Albright Methodist Church, Bill has knowledge of the facilities and finds the subbasement is often wet. “The [church] building is built on top of at least two of the springs and there's another one under the parking lot.” He is always on call in case of emergency. "Because anytime it starts raining, I get a phone call. 'Did you check the church?'"
Cheryl Wendt
Cheryl has served on the Building the Ark committee, volunteered to stencil storm drains. "I used to -- before getting a check valve installed -- get 18 inches of sewer water every time we had a flood in the neighborhood, in the basement." That was 1997. Then in 2008, "when we had that 13 inches in a couple of days, my backyard looked like a lake and it was coming in like a waterfall underneath."
Excell Moore
Excell loves to golf. He is married to Brenda. His yard is lush with growing things, which neighbors attribute to the wetness of the low-lying area. He graciously invited a WaterMarks walk to gather in his beautiful backyard.
Roosevelt Ford
A former professional baseball player, Roosevelt is not sure he wants to stay in the neighborhood even though he has owned a home here with his wife for years.
Owen Ffrench
Owen came out to clean and stencil storm drains -- helping get the neighborhood's tally to a remarkable 92 drains! That's the most in one neighborhood the nonprofit Sweet Water has seen.
Mike Duer
Mike has volunteered on the Building the Ark committee and is committed to community-based solutions for reducing basement flood risk.
Sheryl Fancher
Sheryl is married to Ron. "We've lived there for 18 years and we have had a flooding in our basement when we've had hard rain. We have gone down in the basement and the rain, the water has been knee-deep from having all the flooding in our basement." Sheryl and Ron have had a compromised furnace, hot water heater, washer, dryer, furniture -- and raised their electrical outlets. Basement work has tallied about $35,000. 
Percy Burt
Percy is a veteran committed to civic discourse and serves on the Building the Ark committee. "We have been exposed. Every time it clouds up -- and the threat of rain -- we get water in the basement. I have put in sump pumps, the backflow valve, and I still get a little fresh water down around maybe a couple of inches. It's down to minimal but it's still there..." He's invested near $6,000 and said the insurance company kicked him out because of the claims.
Brenda Moore
Brenda is married to Excell and maintains a beautiful yard of flowers and plantings whose lushness the neighbors attribute to the low-lying wetness. Towels were near basement closet thresholds from moisture getting in. “You try and spray and go on but there's always something. I don't even come down here [the basement] except to get my clothes.”
Lenester Thompson
Len came out to meetings and helped stencil neighborhood storm drains as part of Sweet Water's Adopt a Drain program.
Dora Packer
Dora came out to meetings and helped stencil storm drains as part of Sweet Water's Adopt a Drain program.
Eric Moore
Eric brings an enthusiastic affable energy to the neighborhood. He helped Dora and Len stencil storm drains as part of Sweet Water's Adopt a Drain program.
Fatima Robinson
Fatima came out to meetings and helped stencil storm drains as part of Sweet Water's Adopt a Drain program.
Steve O’Connell
“Fifteen years ago [2010], we started this trek. We've knocked on doors, aldermen, MMSD, DPW, everyone, to try to address the floodwaters in our neighborhood.”