As production wrapped on "Milwaukee, Minnesota" in January, Bay View residents and Milwaukeeans alike, seemed excited to see their neighborhood as the subject of a feature film.

One incident, however, has tarnished the experience for some residents whose homes were used on the set. According to one, the artificial snow used to simulate a cold, Milwaukee winter, was dumped on her property without her permission.

Christina Ward, proprietor of Oranje, a shop on Kinnickinnic Ave. and a resident of the street where filming took place, said she was disappointed by the way she and others in the neighborhood were treated by the crew, particularly by producer Jeff Kirschbaum.

"We live on Graham St., where the crew filmed all day on Sat., Jan. 12," Ward explained. "We only learned of their presence when a truck sprayed our house, vehicles and lawn with a supposedly safe foam substance."

She said the crew told her the foam was temporary, but the "snow" lingered for days.

"It didn't dissolve in water," said Ward. "How safe is that? It was finally gone on Monday afternoon, three days later."

"Not only did they not stop when we asked (them to)," she added. "But they accused us of not supporting art. The producer said it was 'people like us and the unions that were forcing film productions to Canada.'"

Ward said that Kirschbaum "apologized for not having enough crew, for needing our house in the shot and for us being upset. But never for what they did."

According to Ward, Kirschbaum claimed the crew had permission from 14th district Ald. Sue Breier to spray the fake snow. Breier said that she gave no such go-ahead.

In fact, Breier disputed that claim.

"The producer lied and never had permission to go on property," Breier said. "I knew nothing of them going into a neighborhood and spraying fake snow on peoples' property."

Breier also said that Kirschbaum was not the film's producer when the crew was on hand earlier in the year to film some scenes and said it was "ludicrous" that Kirschbaum invoked her name and claimed she gave permission to utilize their property.

Another problem was a simple lack of communication, Breier said.

"The Department of Public Works wasn't talking enough to Aldermen," she said. "They knew what was going on and didn't say anything."

The telephone at the film's local production office has been disconnected, and director Allan Mindel did not return OnMilwaukee.com's calls.