James B. Nelson

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It's full speed ahead with plans to extend the Milwaukee streetcar to the Wisconsin Center District — and to Fiserv Forum, the new home of the Milwaukee Bucks.

That's the message that city officials, including Public Works Director Jeff Polenske, and consulting engineers from HNTB are delivering to community groups and other downtown stakeholders, including the Bucks.

The Bucks have been asked to consider paying for the portion of the extension that would connect the streetcar to their new arena, but the team has been noncommittal.

Known as The Hop, the $124 million streetcar opened in November. Ridership has been higher than anticipated on the 2.1-mile loop that runs from the Intermodal Station through downtown to the lower east side.

RELATED:Ridership of The Hop, the new Milwaukee streetcar, averaged 2,191 in the first 2 weeks

Tracks have been laid for a lakefront loop that would open in 2020. That line would extend through the Couture, a high-rise apartment tower planned by Barrett Lo Visionary Development LLC.

Streetcar rides are free for the first year under a 12-year, $10 million sponsorship by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.

The planning for the convention center extension has proceeded in earnest as a decision nears on whether Milwaukee is awarded the Democratic National Convention in 2020. Other contenders for the convention include Houston and Miami Beach, Florida.

Bucks Senior Vice President Alex Lasry is leading the push to bring the Democratic National Convention to Milwaukee. A decision is expected early this year.

The flurry of streetcar planning activity comes following word last month that the city had not secured $20 million in federal funds to extend The Hop to the arena. City officials have stressed in briefings that the service would expand despite the failure to secure the federal money in the most recent transportation budget cycle.

The city has $20 million available for a partial extension of the service, from the streetcar headquarters at North 5th Street and West Clybourn Avenue north on 5th Street to Wisconsin Avenue. The new line would traverse an empty city-owned lot that sits along Wisconsin between 5th and Phillips Avenue. and end across from the main entrance to the convention hall.

Mayor Tom Barrett said the work underway was "preliminary engineering" for the line that would be extended north to Fiserv Forum and ultimately to the Bronzeville neighborhood.

He said the work was being done so that once a funding package was in place that construction could proceed swiftly.

Barrett said the $20 million that the city has available for The Hop was a "match" for federal money or another funding source and should not be spent until other funding is secured.

"I want to make sure that we have a local funding match," he said. "I'm still hopeful there will be federal money available."

Ald. Robert Bauman, a streetcar advocate who represents much of downtown, offered a more detailed timetable for the service expansion.

"It's our goal to have that section done by the end of 2019 or early 2020," Bauman said. "It's only about two and a half blocks."

Barrett was unwilling to be that specific.

"I'm not attaching any specific timeline to any specific segment right now," the mayor said. He also said any expansion would not be tied to the DNC convention.

The line in question has been on the streetcar's map of future expansion for years and would continue north on Phillips to the new arena and then to the Bronzeville neighborhood.

At the time that the city learned that the federal funding was not coming through, DPW chief Polenske said streetcar expansion work was proceeding.

"We’re continuing to move forward with our preliminary engineering and utility coordination activities for the extension towards Bronzeville and will continue seeking out additional funding sources to move the project forward," Polenske said.

RELATED:Milwaukee streetcar expansion to Fiserv Forum stalled by failing to win federal grant

The expanded service is detailed on The Hop's website, referring to 4th Street — the previous name of what is now Vel R. Phillips Avenue.

"The proposed Fourth Street Extension is an important next step to expanding The Hop to more neighborhoods, especially Bronzeville and Walker’s Point," the website says.

"This extension will link the new Milwaukee Bucks Arena and ancillary development, and numerous destinations in the Westown neighborhood, to other parts of the streetcar line."

The site adds: "This estimated $40 million extension includes .75 route miles, 1.17 track miles, 3 stops and one additional streetcar vehicle. The Common Council has approved the necessary $20 million local match needed for this extension which will be funded through Tax Incremental Financing.

"The City continues to evaluate and pursue additional funding opportunities for the remaining approximately $20 million in capital costs."

The Bucks are seen as a logical potential source for that additional funding.

The Bucks opened their $524 million arena in late summer. Half of the cost of the arena was paid by city, state and county governments.

The Bucks development arm plans to open new bars and restaurants this spring in the entertainment block just east of the arena's main entrance. The streetcar extension would have a stop at that area.

Bauman and Bucks President Peter Feigin said that the city had approached the Bucks and the team's billionaire owners about paying to extend the line to Fiserv Forum.

"They have been asked and they have politely declined," Bauman said.

"I would think it's a no-brainer for them," he said, adding, "but I guess billionaires don't become billionaires by simply giving out money all day."

Barrett said there have been no serious talks with the Bucks.

"I know there have been conversations," he said, adding "that's not something I thought was being given any serious consideration."

Barrett added: "I don't want to put the cart before the horse."

Earlier this week, Feigin discussed the streetcar extension with Polenske and HNTB engineers working on the project.

He didn't reject the idea of Bucks funding but indicated that a lot of details were not yet known about the cost.

"There's been no tangible proposal," he said. "We just said we're focused on our own development for now."