Community Corner
This Year's Spirit Of Greendale Winner Looks Back On Village Past
Jim Birmingham was the winner of the Greendale Public Celebrations Committee award this year.
GREENDALE, WI — Jim Birmingham is this year's winner of the Greendale Public Celebrations Committee Spirit of Greendale Award. The accolade seeks to honor people who encapsulate a passion for Greendale.
Birmingham, 72, was born in Greendale when the village was smaller, but similar, to how it is now. Birmingham said during his time growing up he experienced the many parks and activities that his village had to offer for kids.
"I just said when I grew up, and I did, I said I was going to give back to Greendale," Birmingham told Patch. "17 years ago is when I started it, I bought the coffee shop."
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Prior to the coffee shop, Birmingham was a village trustee. He was elected in April of 1997. Birmingham served as a trustee for 18 years. He then became village president for six years until he retired.
Besides Birmingham's role as a trustee, he has served on a host of committees and boards around the Village. In that time in Greendale, many things have changed, others have stayed the same.
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"When I was young, Greendale was an aging community. Right now, we're seeing a lot of younger people moving in," he said. "As we older ones get older, we see a lot of younger faces."
Birmingham said community involvement has been down. "It's not like it used to be," he said. People show up for events though, Birmingham added.
"People know what Greendale is about, they just like to have some fun," he said.
Serving As A Village Trustee
Birmingham told Patch that some of the most memorable times in his service as a trustee and president were related to developments. He recounted the saga of Southridge and how the village's largest tax base has changed over time.
"One of the most important things is that we've been able to continue to grow," he said.
The village continues its efforts in revitalizing Southridge. This summer brought the most recent efforts on that front.
"At the end of my career, the virus really hit everybody hard," Birmingham said. "That was a very bad time for us."
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