It takes a whole village to enhance a large subdivision

New Berlin - With nearly 550 homes, Weatherstone subdivision is not only one of the largest in the Midwest, it's like a virtual village within the boundaries of New Berlin.

And that kind of makes Carl Deutsch, the subdivision association president, its unofficial mayor.

"That's appropriate," laughed Bill Moore, a former city alderman, who represented the area for six years and has lived in the subdivision since 1982.

"He's the elected leader, and he certainly cares about the neighborhood. He cares how it looks and he's responsive to many of the needs and requests of the people," Moore added. "The biggest thing is he's willing to put forth his labor and his time and that certainly shows his leadership. It shows an example of what we all should be doing."

A volunteer among volunteers

If you ask Deutsch, an amiable man who runs a marketing firm in New Berlin, it's not that big a deal; he's always been a volunteer, whether he was coaching his son's basketball team or participating in a citizens' police academy.

"I almost treat that as a hobby - volunteering. Obviously, it's good for others. But it also feels good to me to do things that will improve things for others," Deutsch said.

When Deutsch became association president four years ago, it was right up his alley.

"It's a voluntary, free position, so all of the dedication is completely volunteer time," said Mark Mader, one of 10 block captains, each responsible for about 50 homes, within the subdivision.

So far, that dedication - a word he downplays, but one people readily use when talking about Deutsch - has included everything from landscaping projects along two boulevards, installing new signs to better brand and identify the subdivision, and adding digital photos, even a few advertisements, to the subdivision's annual resident directory.

"He has really dedicated himself to the enhancement of the subdivision," Mader said.

Which is to say, at least if you ask Deutsch, that he's just doing what he can to help his community. If that means talking to an arborist about a some old trees, then taking flack from a few neighbors when those seemingly healthy trees were taken down - well, that's part of the job.

All-important tree and greenery

Before anyone else gets excited, those trees were replaced - and then some. The boulevard project on Wembly Drive led to the planting of five new trees and some landscaping.

But when the project began, people weren't happy.

That's because the giant square that is Weatherstone - the boundaries press east to 124th Street, west to Sunny Slope Road, north to Howard Avenue and south to Cold Spring Road - is more than its collection of ranch and two-story homes, manicured lawns and clean, quiet streets.

It's a place with a city park, where residents have picnics each year to make sure they still know their neighbors and pull buckthorn and garlic mustard to keep the invasive species out. It has a creek and a natural prairie. And it has some much-beloved mature trees.

So, when those trees along Wembly Drive came down, some people freaked.

"People thought we killed healthy trees," Deutsch said.

In fact, Deutsch learned, the trees were damaged and sickly, a potential hazard in an area where people often walk their dogs or push strollers.

When the less-than-supportive emails started rolling in, Deutsch wondered, "What did I get myself into?"

Of course, the replanting and landscaping helped. Today, people who walk in the area talk about what a big improvement the project was.

On the road to improvements

Deutsch has carried that momentum into other projects within the subdivision, including Weatherstone Boulevard.

"I try to head up one big project every year," Deutsch said. "That was the big project last year."

With help from city officials and a private landscaper, the space has been transformed to include 11 new trees surrounded by prairie grass and wildflowers.

Recent rains left the space a bit too damp to show its dazzling potential. But, despite the cool and wet weather, shades of white, yellow and brown had already started to appear, hinting at the mosaic of purples, pinks and blues yet to come in the five-year planting project.

As the plants take hold, Deutsch has already planted seeds for other projects. He recently helped organize the neighborhood's first perennial flower swap. He has asked the city to consider changes and upgrades to the playground at Weatherstone Park. And he's working on installing lights around some new signs within the subdivision.

"That's kind of been my baby," Deutsch said. "We've installed three additional landmark signs around the subdivision."

"I think Carl helped lay the stone," Moore said, laughing again.

The new fieldstone-capped columns replaced wooden signs that were installed when subdivision was first developed in the mid-1980s.

"I thought we could market or brand the subdivision, so that we had a consistent look throughout," Deutsch said.

The next project will be installing lights around the three new signs, which were installed in September.

Other neighborly actions

After that Deutsch and other volunteers in the neighborhood, will turn their attention toward finishing that mammoth directory, complete with a list of potential babysitting, lawn-mowing and snow-shoveling jobs for the entrepreneurial kids in the subdivision.

Deutsch and the block captains also will look ahead to the subdivision's annual food drive, which almost always seems to coincide with the first snowfall, if not snowstorm of the season. Last year, block captains collected 110 bags of canned goods and other non-perishables for the New Berlin Food Pantry.

With so much real estate, Deutsch said there are likely more projects on the horizon. And, with so much to do, there is one project that will likely never fall of Deutsch's to-do list: finding more volunteers.