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August 5, 2009 |
At Tuesdays night’s meeting, Prairie du Chien Common Council approved funding for Hoffman Hall for the remainder of the year, asked for preparation of an ordinance forbidding sale of live pets on city street corners and in lots, and approved pursuing a grant application for creating apartment units in the old Fort Crawford Hotel.
Due to a tight budget and concerns about the cost of maintaining the Hoffman Hall pool, the 2009 budget had covered operation of the pool only through the spring season. Last evening, presented with figures which show that income from the pool is expected to come close to balancing out the costs, council gave permission to resume pool operations from September through December.
The figure provided, however, did not include utility costs or an aquatic service already approved, and council member Mary Wayne said she felt there were other costs as well which were not included in the breakdown. "My concern is not that Hoffman Hall make money," she said, "but that council makes a decision based on costs, and I don’t think all the costs are in there."
Council member Frank Pintz said he felt Parks and Recreation Director Mike Ulrich had proved he could do a good job of running Hoffman Hall, and that’s why he approved of keeping it open through 2009. Kathleen Hein, another council member, said Mike and others had already raised $6,000 in contributions for the pool, and she felt more fundraising could be done once council makes a permanent decision on the pool.
The funding was approved by a 9-3 vote, with council members Ruskey, Wayne and Solomon voting no.
Asking that the city attorney work out the correct phrasing, council members authorized drafting of an ordinance which would prevent transient sale of pet animals such as dogs and cats on street corners and city lots. Council members said they were concerned about such practices creating a bad image for the city and possibly perpetuating "puppy mill" style operations.
They asked that the ordinance be worded in such a way that it would not prevent a city resident from selling a litter of kittens or pups.
Although there was some concern over whether developer Mark Ihm would carry out the renovations in a timely fashion, council approved submission of a grant application that would fund creation of apartments on the second and third floor of the hotel. The apartments would be rented to low and moderate-income tenants. (See separate story on Page 1.) Judy Wall, who made the presentation to council on behalf of Prairie du Chien Revitalization, Inc., said, "This is a proposal made in the best interests of the city—not in the interests of Mark Ihm." Wall said it was a way to reclaim a ‘white elephant’ and make it part of the city’s tax base.
In other business council:
•Approved a new salary ordinance for some city employees retroactive to January, 2008. Council member Joe Ruskey said that the city is required to give union members a raise, and that non-union employees did not take a raise for 2009. The council and mayor have also declined a raise.
•Approved revisions to a portion of city ordinance regulating fines for parking violations. Fines for failure to purchase a boat launch pass have been raised to $25, and the fines for parking in a handicapped zone increased to $50.
•Notified that grant application for implementation of the waterfront plan, improving the tourist information center and improving Ohio Street had been turned down, but that more money might become available if plans could be prepared by Dec. 1, council authorized Vierbicher Associates to draw up plans for reconstruction of Ohio Street between Blackhawk and Washington. This would not include sewer and water. If this project does not receive grant money, it could be funded through TIF funds.
•Authorized giving the Department of Transportation (DOT) permanent easement on city-owned property across the street from the AmericInn. Because of the pending Highway 18 construction, the DOT wants to limit access sites, and a driveway will be constructed between the city property and the proposed new motel site. The AmericInn driveway will eventually be moved to a spot opposite the new driveway.
•Approved the draft of City Manager Jim Gitz’s resignation agreement. The city attorney is drawing up the final agreement.
The HOPE VI grant application given the green light last night by Prairie du Chien Common Council would, if granted, give the stalled Fort Crawford Hotel restoration project a needed boost.
Prairie du Chien Revitalization Inc. (PDRI) has been working to "find a funding stream" for the hotel, said PDRI member Judy Wall, who has been working on the application. The grant would provide up to $1million in gap funding for the hotel.
In order to receive the grant, the developer must provide rental housing for individuals and families of low to moderate income. To qualify, an individual or family would have to be making 80 percent or less of the average median income. For this area that figure is approximately $34,000 for an individual or $40,000 for a couple.
The apartments would be constructed on the second and third floors of the hotel. The exact number would be up to developer Mark Ihm, but Wall estimated there might be 16 to 18 units.
Wall said that the restoration is a $1.8 million project to complete, but commercial property is only worth the revenue it brings in. If the property were put on the market, it would be worth only $1 million, based on anticipated rental income.
"Whether it’s for this developer or another," said Wall, "this has to be a public-private partnership."
Three commercial tenants have signed a pre-lease agreement, Wall said, but they cannot move in until work on the upper floors is close to completion.
PDRI applied for the grant last year, and although they did not receive it, they were second or third in the running and were encouraged to apply this year. PDRI is again submitting the application on behalf of the city, The grant is awarded to only two Main Street communities in the country. Through PDRI, Prairie du Chien is a qualified Main Street community and eligible for the grant because it supports PDRI’s Main Street rejuvenation efforts. Support of a Main Street rejuvenation effort is required for grant eligibility.
The program is funded through the Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
A 29-year-old Prairie du Chien man is off enjoying another adventure of a lifetime. Patrick Igou, the son of Terry and Kathleen Igou, is hiking the length of the Appalachian Trail.
As many of our readers may recall, Patrick canoed the length of the Mississippi River in 2007 along with fellow modern-day adventurer Ryan Balk.
This time, Patrick is alone as he treks the 2,172-mile Appalachian Trail from Mount Katahdin, Maine down through to Springer Mountain, Georgia.
The AT, as the trail is commonly called, winds its way through 14 states on a course that parallels the southwesterly slant of the eastern seacoast. The trail threads its way through trees, over rocks, over mountains and down valleys. The trail doesn’t skirt the mountaintops. Instead it takes a punitive path over every peak it can find. Few stretches of the trail form a straight line, and in places, the trail curves wildly.
Strapping on a backpack and hiking along the AT is not for the faint of heart, but the rewards are great. Along the way, Patrick will encounter a five-mile descent down Mount Katahdin, the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire (one of the most scenic and hazardous sections), the cultured New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, and a corridor of woods between the mainland and Long Island in the state of New York.
In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the trail is infamous for rocks. Hikers have days in which they never touch soil. In Western Maryland, Patrick will go through Civil War battlefields. Ten miles of the trail in West Virginia are notable for passing through the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conference at Harpers Ferry. One quarter of the AT is in Virginia. Grayson Highlands features open grassy ranges and wild ponies. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina has more varieties of trees than in all of Europe. The mountains of North Carolina and Georgia are steep and densely wooded.
The vast majority of those who hike the AT do so for a day or a weekend and then return to their homes. Patrick, on the other hand, has embarked upon an extended nomadic camping trip that is expected to take six months.
Backpackers typically average 12 miles per day and they carry enough food to last three to five days. When they cross a road within walking or hitching distance of a town, hikers cherish the opportunity to eat "real" food, get cleaned up and restock their packs. Drinking water comes primarily from streams and springs along the trail. Many hikers treat the water chemically or use filters.
The Appalachian Trail was conceived by Benton MacKaye in 1921. No one hiked the entire length of the trail until 1948 when WW II veteran Earl Shaffer lugged his rucksack from Georgia to Maine. Since then, everyone who has hiked the entire trail has become known as a "thru-hiker."
As Patrick attempts to become a thru-hiker, he will send e-mails when he can. In this way, The Courier Press will be able to chronicle Patrick’s adventures for our readers through a series of articles. E-mails may be sporadic, so a degree of patience may be needed as our readers eagerly anticipate learning of Patrick’s progress during his latest adventure of a lifetime.
The following is Patrick’s first e-mail to The Courier Press regarding his Appalachian Trail adventure. It was sent on July 28.
I write this from Gorham, New Hampshire. All is well. I left Mount Katahdin on July 5 and crossed the Maine/New Hampshire border on July 26.
It was three long weeks. Maine is a beautiful, brutal and rugged state. June was a wet, rainy month, and the rivers and streams I had to ford were often raging. The trail and trail towns were abuzz with talk of people getting washed downstream and banged up or losing their gear or both.
Central Maine is mostly swamps, bogs and marshes. I had foot problems in my second week. They rotted out from under me and became infected. I’ve got the problem under control now.
There are also some pretty tough climbs in the central parts of the states. Western Maine is comprised of brutal sawtooth mountains, big ones. I hike straight up a 4,000-foot mountain, straight down the same mountain to a river crossing normally below the 1,000-foot mark and right back up another 4,000-foot mountain.
The trail is made up of three parts: rocks, roots and mud. There is rarely any easy going out here. The weather hasn’t been great either. It has rained a couple of hours almost every day. It’s rained most of the day on more than half the days I’ve been out here. I can only think of three or four days when it didn’t rain at all and was sunny. It just makes the nice days that much nicer.
Much of the flora and fauna of this area are similar to what can be found in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. I’ve seen several moose, porcupine, grouse, and other small critters. A huge bull moose walked into my camp at daybreak one morning and didn’t notice me until it was 15 or 20 feet away. I was breaking down my camp and startled to say the least. It was too early in the morning to be squaring off with the biggest beast in the woods. Thankfully, he left me alone.
My next challenge will be the White Mountains of New Hampshire. They are supposed to be beautiful and rugged. Along with Western Maine, this is supposedly the most physically challenging part of the trail due to the terrain and weather.
I am traveling relatively light on this trip. I camp under a lightweight 8x10 tarp and cook on an alcohol stove I made out of a pop can. My meals usually consist of granola, ramen, pasta sides, tuna and peanut butter. I hitch- hike into towns located near the trail to resupply and then hitch out again.
I hope everyone’s summer is going well and I hope the folks back home enjoy the article.
Trying as it is, I’m having a blast out here. I travel alone but still have had the opportunity to meet a lot of nice and interesting people on the trail, and locals in these mountain towns.
Take care, and give my best to all of my friends and everyone back in Prairie du Chien.
Patrick Igou,
Southbound
To be continued
August 3, 2009 |
The storms that battered southwest Wisconsin and neighbors in Iowa and Illinois July 24 and 27 left behind millions of dollars of damage to crops. That damage, which could reach as much as $86 million for the tri-state area, will eventually be measured in specific numbers for acreage and income lost.
It is impossible, however, to measure the headaches which come with the damage, as farmers cope with their losses. Crawford County Extension Agent Vance Haugen said that as he continues to visit farms and talk to farmers, he is learning more about their frustrations, particularly regarding insurance claims. Haugen said that if a farmer has hail insurance, adjusters must determine that the damage came from hail rather than wind, or they will receive no compensation. Since the July 24 hail storm was also accompanied by wind, adjusters are looking very carefully as they try to determine the cause of the damage.
Haugen estimated that approximately 6,000 acres in the county suffered moderate to severe damage, and 3,000 more had slight to moderate damage. He also said he was seeing more infrastructure damage in terms of field roads and culverts than he had originally thought.
The Crawford County Emergency Management office estimates damages at $250,000.
Grant County appears to have suffered much heavier damage, with crop damage estimated at $40 to $50 million. A spokesperson at the Emergency Management office said damage to homes and businesses is now estimated at $4million or more as reports continue to come in. Damage to county roads has been estimated at $8,000. This figure does not include damages to other roads.
Lafayette County reported 45,000 acres damaged with estimated crop losses at $35 million.
Clayton County, Iowa, reported 40,000 acres of damage and losses of $6 million. In Jo Daviess County in Illinois, 52,000 acres were reported damaged.
Moving Prairie Maison nursing home to its new location at Bluff Haven took a lot of advance planning for its staff and administrators, says Social Services Director Nancy Thurn, but everybody agrees it was all worth it.
Now, more than a month after the move, things are humming along smoothly, and residents are more than content with their new home.
Before the move, Mae Hazen chose her new room carefully so that she would have plenty of light for her plants, which now sprawl across a large and sunny windowsill. She also enjoys a view of the plants outside her window in the courtyard. The color choices, carpeting and light in the building make the atmosphere warmer and less sterile, she said, and the small, intimate dining rooms, each of which seat 16 people are a definite plus.
"I love it," was the first response of a male resident who did not wish his name used. "I have a great view, and the room is big and clean and wonderful." The room affords good natural light for reading, and he appreciates having his own private bathroom (out of the 64 total spaces, 54 are single rooms with bath). With his computer set up in one corner, he is, he said, all ready to play Fantasy Football. The only thing that hasn’t improved is the staff, he claimed, because "they’ve always been good."
Mildred Meiller was willing to interrupt her nap to share her feelings. Asked if preparing for the move had distressed her, she responded, "I just picked myself up and came down." More wall space to hang family photos and other mementoes is a big plus for her. She enjoys looking out at the gardens and walks around every day to see what’s new, she said.
Ellen Olson was hard-put to elaborate on her original comment—"I like it all." She admitted she had been worried about fitting in all her furniture, but as she looked about her new room, filled with treasured family items, including a quilt made by her mother, she said she had received many compliments on it.
As Thurn reflected on all the changes, she said the actual moving process was perhaps the most amazing. Although much preparation had gone into the planning, she was still surprised at how smoothly everything went.
Residents ate breakfast in the old building, and by 11:05 a.m. everyone was settled in the new building and ready for lunch.
The switch to a household and neighborhood format (there are two separate neighborhoods, further broken down into two houses each) has made it easier for staff members to become closer to the residents, she said.
The dining process, she feels, is one of the best parts. There are two dining rooms in each house, and each of those seats 16 people. Acoustically, it’s much quieter than before, she said. Aesthetically, the dining rooms resemble a cross between a home dining room and a fine restaurant, with wooden dining tables and chairs and a fireplace.
Food is dished up and brought to the table, just as if one were dining out.
Another big change, she said, is that everything is on one level. In the old building, people had to take the elevator downstairs to access the beauty shop. There is both an examination room and a waiting room at the new site, and most of the residents’ doctors come to the nursing home to see them.
Many residents take advantage of the spacious sitting rooms to watch TV on a big screen. Residents have more places to socialize, she said, and there’s more sitting room for families.
The library has not yet been set up, but will eventually contain both reading material and computers. Although many people have their own subscriptions, there will also be newspapers available in the library.
A snack bar, located between the nursing home and independent living units will open in September, and will be available to all residents and visitors.
The independent living units opened August 1. For more information about those units, contact Alesha Erdenberger, senior vice president of operations, at Community Health Services, 326-3200.
