FEMA, Gays Mills involved in flood mitigation planning

A FEMA representative, Pieter du Jong, gave a presentation before the Crawford County Board Tuesday morning about a flood mitigation plan for Gays Mills.

"It’s very important for the community to have some sort of consensus on this," said de Jong, who is the operations deputy for the National Infrastructure Support Technical Assistance Contractor.

De Jong said that eight planners, along with urban architect Gregory Splinter of Soldiers Grove are working on the flood mitigation plan. He said that a levee has been discussed as well as moving a portion of the village or all of the village. The elevation of 18 buildings is also being considered, as well as a combination of the various options. He said that state and federal funding options have been discussed.

Typically, federal money would pay for 75 percent of the cost, said de Jong. The money would go towards acquisition, demolition or elevation, as well as flood proofing techniques. The other 25 percent of the cost could be divided by the state with 12.5 percent and local with 12.5 percent. Board member Larry Kapinus pointed out that the village of Gays Mills can’t afford the 12.5 percent in matching funds. Dale Klemme of Community Development Alternatives said, however, that the Wisconsin DNR has become "more responsive" in recent years regarding these issues and would also offer funding to further alleviate the local share so as to make the project more affordable.

De Jong noted that Gays Mills has sustained "100-year" floods three times in the past 30 years (1978, 2007 and 2008) and that something needs to be done.

In other business, the board:

•Heard a presentation from Economic Development Agent Laura Brown regarding funding to promote an economic development plan. Once established, the funding would be self-sustaining and would be funding that is beyond taxpayer funding, said Brown.

•Heard a presentation from Dale Klemme asking the county for continued support for the Tourism Council. Klemme, as well as County Board member Melody Betz, said that tourism provides the fastest return on the county’s investment.

•Heard a presentation from Prairie du Chien Chamber of Commerce Director Bob Moses asking the county for continued support for the Prairie du Chien Regional Welcome Center.

•Discussed the possibility of having the County Administrative Building open for only four days per week in order to save money on energy costs. County Attorney Mark Peterson will look into the legalities and other possible ramifications of such a move.

•Was informed by County Board member John Karnopp that bids have been let for a new 80 x 104 equipment storage building at the Highway Department.

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad wants the class-action lawsuit filed by village of Bagley flood victims to be transferred from Grant County Circuit Court to federal court in Madison.

Fifty-three residents filed the suit May 16 in Grant County alleging that the railroad is liable for the millions of dollars of flood damage in the village due to the railroad’s failure to clear debris from a trestle over Glass Hollow Creek.

The lawsuit filed by the 53 residents alleges that the flood that damaged their homes was not "an act of God" but was in fact a manmade act because heavy rains backed up and spilled over the debris-choked railroad trestle.

The flood damaged nearly 200 homes in and around Bagley.

The lawsuit states that because the trestle had caused flooding problems prior to the July 2007 flood, the railroad knew or should have known that debris clogging the trestle would causes floods in the future.

The BNSF Railroad is responsible for maintaining the trestle.

The BNSF says that the railroad is not negligent and that debris was washed down from the nearby bluffs by rushing water. The BNSF also has said that the area’s drainage system was not good enough to handle the flash flood caused by the heavy downpour.

An additional dispute has also now emerged from the lawsuit. The attorney for the 53 Bagley residents says that the lawsuit should be heard in Grant County Circuit Court because the residents and the railroad employees involved are all Wisconsin residents. In addition, there are no federal issues involved.

The BNSF attorney said that the case should be in federal court because the railroad’s headquarters are located in Fort Worth, Texas. The BNSF attorney also has said that because the lawsuit is seeking class-action status, that according to federal law it would then have to be heard in federal court.

According to the lawsuit, the BNSF is liable for approximately $5 million in damages to residences in Bagley, including damage to homes and personal property, reduced market value, clean-up and restoration, and punitive damages.

John Hannafan knows what sort of magic is required to turn water, malt, hops, yeast and other ingredients into something that tastes good at the end of a long day.

Hannafan is the brewing consultant for Old Man River Restaurant and Brewery in McGregor. In the coming week he will be working in the brewhouse grinding the malt, checking valves and flipping the switches to begin brewing the first batch of beer for Old Man River.

The preparation required for this first brew has involved months of work and troubleshooting and even a few trans-Atlantic flights; all because Old Man River is home to no ordinary brewery.

The gleaming brass brewing tanks visible through the windows of the brewhouse cannot be seen anywhere else in the United States. The tanks are the primary equipment in the SALM brewing system installed at Old Man River. SALM is an Austrian brewing equipment manufacturer, and Old Man River has the only SALM unit in the U.S.

Hannafan describes the SALM unit as a "Maserati" of brewing systems—very high quality, but rather high-maintenance and complex.

Maserati, indeed.

Hannafan has spent the last eight months rounding up all of the parts for the brewing system, overseeing their installation, cleaning it and checking it. He spent nearly a month in Austria training with the SALM Company and the vice president of SALM spent a week in April in McGregor to check out the system.

This is not what most brew pubs do. Most brew pubs, Hannafan says, choose simple, less expensive English ale-style brewing systems.

But when he heard about the 15 year-old SALM system at a bargain basement price, last fall, he advised his employers, Dave and Marci Strutt, that they had a unique opportunity. The SALM system is set up to brew German-style lagers and Pilsners, which would provide a more unique product for Old Man River.

And, as Hannafan points out, it is a style of brewing more in keeping with the beers brewed by the German immigrant brewers that once made their home in McGregor at the Klein brewery and the Hagensick brewery.

He intends to brew beers that will taste "just like if you got off the plane in Munich…with this system it would be a waste not to have that kind of beer," he said.

Brewing is not Hannafan’s first career. For the past 20 years this Clinton, Iowa, native worked in graphic design and marketing. The last 11 years he was in the Chicago area working as a freelance graphic designer primarily for the Tribune Company, parent company for the Chicago Tribune.

But when his father died a few years ago, both John and his brother Terry decided that life is short. Terry had pursued a career with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and was weary of government bureaucracy. Brewing was a passionate interest for both.

They decided to enroll in the World Brewing Academy at the Seibel Institute of Technology in Chicago, which has been training brewers since the 1870s. Part of the coursework for the Academy is in Chicago, and some is completed at the Doemens Akademie in Munich, Germany. The 12-week course leads to a Diploma in Brewing Technology, which Hannafan completed in December, 2005.

John’s interest in brewing began, of course, with beer drinking.

When he was a student in Philadelphia in the 1980s, he had the opportunity to take home a free six-pack of beer from the Dock Street Brewery, one of the early microbreweries, and he liked it. Later, while living in Washington, D.C., he got to know the owner of the Dominion Brewery in Virginia. By 1990, he was dabbling in homebrewing.

"I started with a kit, but I decided that wasn’t beer," he said. "I knew there had to be more." So he began learning about scratch beer recipes and the craft of brewing.

While in Chicago, he spent time sampling the wares at the Goose Island Brewery in Chicago, and became acquainted with some of the brewers. Later, when Terry moved to Madison, Wis., the brothers set up a mini brewing system at Terry’s home.

Since his graduation from the brewing academy he worked a stint at City Brewery in La Crosse and as a freelance brewing consultant. He moved back to his hometown of Clinton about a year ago, where his brother is opening his own new brew pub.

Dave and Marci Strutt, found him in spring, 2007 when they were planning the construction of their business.

Hannafan could not resist the chance to create a new brewery. So he began working for Old Man River and sublet an apartment in McGregor.

"Most brewers don’t get to do this. Next to no one gets to design a brewhouse," he explained.

If all goes well, the temperamental Austrian equipment should satisfy the curiosity of local beer lovers with a cold pint sometime in September.

Two referendums, one on roundabouts and one on fluoride, were discussed at last night’s meeting of the Prairie du Chien Common Council.

Attorney Lara Czajkowski Higgins advised council members that "Wisconsin statutes and case law mandate rejection" of the petition for referendum regarding roundabouts on Marquette Road.

Czajkowski Higgins, speaking on behalf of Forward Prairie du Chien, a group organized in support of the council and its decision to move forward with roundabouts, said that the petition, originally filed August 1 with City Clerk Barb Elvert, fails to meet several required elements of form, and has been returned to We The People, the organization which circulated the petition, for revision. Deadline for returning the revised petition is August 25.

Even if it is resubmitted by that deadline, Czajkowski Higgins advised council to refuse to act on it. The proposed referendum, she said, is contrary to Wisconsin state case law. A referendum may not attempt to repeal existing legislation. Council’s agreement with the Department of Transportation (DOT), she said, constitutes a legislative act. She cited a recent case in Potosi when a citizen petition was filed requiring the village board to adopt a decision rescinding an existing agreement with the DOT. The courts found that act was not legal.

A second violation, she said, is that the referendum would attempt to modify procedures or standards required by statute. The City Planning Commission has the function and duty to adopt a city plan which must include goals for transportation, including highways. If an ordinance prohibiting roundabouts on Marquette Road is enacted, said Czajkowski Higgins, she believes that to be in conflict with the powers of the Planning Commission.

If the petition is resubmitted, she said, the proper action is to refuse to adopt it and refuse to submit the issue to voters. She advised council to discuss the exact form of the rejection with the city administrator and city attorney.

Although an attorney for We The People was also scheduled to speak, no one appeared to represent them.

Following through on a decision to place a non-binding referendum regarding water fluoridation on the November ballot, council wrestled with a decision over whether or not to include estimated costs in the question.

Council member Linda Munson argued for two questions: a yes or no on the fluoridation and a second question asking if those who voted yes would be willing to support it at an estimated cost. She said grants are available, but the city can’t be sure of obtaining them. Council members Frank Pintz and Jean Titlbach said they preferred to keep the wording simple. Titlbach added the she supported the idea of a public information meeting so that both sides of the issue could be heard. Several council members said they felt both sides were eager to get their message out to the public.

Council finally settled on a question to be worded "Should Prairie du Chien fluoridate the water supply?" The choices would be "yes" or "no."

In other business council:

•Approved construction of a 14-foot gazebo on St. Feriole Island at the corner of 4th and Rolette Streets. Tom Nelson, speaking for the St. Feriole Island Memorial Gardens Committee, said the gazebo would be built with funds from a George Family Foundation grant and a trust fund left by Cathy Nelson’s mother. There would be not cost to the city, and St. Feriole Island gardeners would maintain it.

•Approved the Park and Recreation Department proposed salary structure for part time employees.

•Authorized Park and Recreation Director Mike Ulrich to work with the school district in utilizing Fund 80 monies. Ulrich said this would enable his department to hire and oversee staff and fund salaries for programs. The school district must approve the expenditure, and any fees charged must be turned over to the district. Ulrich said he already has approval for football, volleyball, after school enrichment and special needs programs.

•Approved bidding out the city cleaning services. City Administrator Gitz said this was not the result of dissatisfaction with the present services, but a need to make sure city money is well spent.

•Approved an investigation into the costs and procedures for taping city council meetings. Mayor Karl Steiner said that taping the meetings would provide another record for referral in addition to the minutes.

•Tabled discussion of a proposal for operating the city’s 12 buildings on solar energy. Novan Solar from Colorado has offered to make a presentation on the process and costs. Mayor Steiner said Rich Bannen of Prairie Solar Power and Light requested the opportunity to make a presentation as well.The presentation will be rescheduled.

•Accepted the resignation of Angie Kramer from the Harbor Commission.