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Another downtown
building being restored
Another building in Prairie du Chien is being renovated
so as to give a nicer appearance to the downtown. The building at 126 W.
Blackhawk Ave., which most recently housed Knutson Photography, is being
restored by owner William E. Collins.
"Almost everything you see has been put back to the way
it was," said Collins, who noted that the original tin ceiling has been
restored, as well as the original wood floor. The interior has been
freshly painted, most of the plumbing has been replaced and two large
windows at the front of the building have been put back into place.
Collins said that the two windows had been removed in the early 1980s
shortly after he purchased the building. He said that the building was
originally two store fronts.
Collins said that Tom Steiner of Steiner Construction
of Prairie du Chien conducted the restoration work. The facade restoration
of the building will be completed as soon as the weather becomes more
mild.
"Our downtown in Prairie du Chien, if everybody
contributes a little to downtown, it could make it much more viable," said
Collins, who noted that downtown revitalization efforts on the part of
building owners will help the downtown economy, especially considering the
increased commercial development to the south of the city.
Collins said that he received great encouragement from
Mayor Cheryl Mader and a bit of financial assistance from the city. He
also explained that federal tax credits are available to any business
owner to assist in renovation costs. The amount of tax credits depends
upon the age of the building and the type of restoration. If the building
is in an historic district or is on the National Register of Historic
Buildings, even more tax credits are available, paying up to one fourth of
a renovation project.
Other downtown buildings that are being renovated
include Althof's Television Center and the former Fort Crawford Hotel.
"It (the restoration) seemed like the appropriate thing
to do," said Collins.
Vierbicher Associates, Inc. is in the process of moving
into the building and will be leasing the building from Collins.
Vierbicher is a firm involved in engineering, planning, community
development, surveying, GIS, environmental and water resources.
William Nelson of Vierbicher Associates said that
Vierbicher will be hosting an open house in the building sometime in
April.
Clayton silica mining operations hits some snags with DNR
Planning for operations at the silica mine at Pattison
Brothers near Clayton hit a snag last week when the Iowa Department of
Natural Resources raised concerns about two separate activities at the
site. CEO Kyle Pattison met with DNR staffers Thursday, Feb. 1, in Des
Moines, to iron out some details.
Pattison Bros. has been gearing up to begin mining
silica sand south of the site of the former mine. According to mine
manager Steve Hodgson, the company is still in the process of building and
installing the processing equipment and no mining has begun yet. The
processing operation will involve mostly above-ground facilities, he
noted.
The processing facilities will include a sand washing
and drying operation to remove impurities from the sand in preparation for
shipment.
A tailings pond will store wastewater from the rock
washing. The sand drying equipment will initially be powered by propane,
but the mine plans to install a used tire-fired heater to dry the sand in
the future.
Silica sand is a pure quartz sand that is used by the
natural gas industry to stimulate production in gas wells. Pattison Bros.
hopes to process about 6,000 tons of the sand per week during the start-up
phase of mine operation.
The Pattison company began working through the
application process for a variety of permits in 2002, according to Kevin
Baskins, a DNR spokesman. A complex array of permits must be secured
before operations begin. State pollution permits for water, wastewater
discharge, air quality and sovereign lands leases are required for the
operation. Several of the permits are still being processed and
negotiated.
One issue the DNR is concerned with is the planned
tailings pond on the site. The pond will hold wastewater from the sand
washing operation and wastewater from the air scrubbers of the
tire-burning sand dryer. The mine must work with the DNR to secure an
additional permit for the scrubber's wastewater.
Pattison wants draw water from the Mississippi River
for the washing operation. One of the concerns the DNR discussed with the
company last Thursday is the placement of an intake pipe structure over an
area where the endangered Higgin's eye pearly mussel may be located. The
structure is partially completed with piers and a dock. Pattison has
agreed to stop work on the intake pipe structure until a mussel survey can
be done in the spring. The company must also secure a state lease for the
property on which the intake structure is located, adding to their leased
land along the river where their barge terminal is located. The land is
state property. Pattison submitted a letter and permit application for the
lease and a request to draw water from the Mississippi last October.
The DNR also filed a cease and desist order against the
company on January 22 to halt quarry excavation on land on which the
company was operating near the mine. Previous DNR assessment of the
property had indicated that the land near the excavation site contained
populations of the jewelled shooting star, an endangered prairie flower.
But the DNR withdrew the order at the meeting because they could not
confirm that the plant was located at the site.
The development of the mine has received state
assistance. The Iowa Department of Economic Development awarded the
company a $1 million loan and credit guarantee and high quality job
creation tax benefits in March, 2006, as part of the Iowa Values Fund. The
development of the mine will create as many as 39 high-paying jobs.
Currently fewer than 20 people are employed at the mine.
Council gives go-ahead for Safe Routes to School grant application
At Tuesday's meeting of the Prairie du Chien Common
Council, Dale Klemme of Community Development Alternatives (CDA) was
authorized to submit a grant application to the federally-funded Safe
Routes to School program for development of a bicycle route which will
provide students safe access to their schools.
The program funds development of routes within two
miles of schools for students in grades K-8, and the city will be seeking
$200,000 to complete the project. CDA charges a $2,000 fee for preparing
the grant application.
Plans for the route were approved in December, 2004,
and the school board has already committed to provide an easement through
school property for the trail.
Council also approved bids on two projects which had
been delayed from last year, and discovered they had saved money by
waiting. They approved a bid of $193,220.50 from Prairie Sand and Gravel
for sanitary sewer, water main and street work on Prairie and Cass
Streets.
The reconstruction involves one block of Prairie from
Cass to Iowa and one block of Cass from Prairie to Beaumont. The bid from
Prairie Sand and Gravel was actually $3,000 higher than the lowest bid,
but Councilmember Frank Pintz, Jr., suggested that "we're trying to get
people to come into the community; maybe if we show them we give
preference to our local people it will make others want to come." The city
is also receiving $37,000 in grant funds for the project from the
Department of Transporation.
Councilmember Nate Gilbert noted that the bid was lower
than those received and rejected last year, and several thousand dollars
lower than the city's budget projection of $205,000.
A second project, the boat landing improvements on St.
Feriole Island, was also awarded to Prairie Sand and Gravel for $29,730,
far less than the originally estimated cost of $40,000 to $50,000. The
project consists of repositioning and extending the concrete ramps at the
boat landing to eliminate the scour holes and shallow bars, and graveling
an overflow parking area to the west of the existing lot. Bids on the
project ranged from a $93,100 high to the $29,730 bid by Prairie Sand and
Gravel.
Noting that these bids, too, were lower than bids
received and rejected last year, Pintz said, "It helps to bid in the
off-season when people are hungry." City Administrator Gordon Gallagher
said he would like to continue to use this approach.
In other business the council:
Adopted an ordinance to develop shifts for election
workers so they don't have to work such long days, since City Clerk
Barbara Elvert was having trouble finding people to fill the spots. At the
same time, they approved a resolution which allows the clerk to determine
the number of officials needed for all elections held in the city. This
would make it possible to reduce the number from the state requirements of
seven per polling place.
Councilmember Brad Steiner also suggested reducing the
number of polling places in the city, especially if it becomes difficult
to find enough workers. No action was taken at this time.
City Administrator Gallagher reported on the 2006 boat
landing launch fees. He said the preliminary report showed just under
$100,000 in fees collected.
Council asked that a representative of Mediacom appear
before a future council meeting to discuss their services to the community
and also requested the city planner look into the present franchise with
the company to see if it could be terminated. Councilmembers stated they
received many complaints about service. The company is also raising some
of its commercial rates, but that should not affect rates for city
residents.
Gallagher reported that claims by former city employee
Edward Washington for false imprisonment and discrimination had been
settled by the city's insurance company in the amount of $5,000. That
amount is covered by insurance.
He also reported that the city's 2006 random drug
testing program, required by the state for employees with commercial
drivers licenses showed no indication of drug use.
Terry Meyer, Waste Water Treatment Plant
Superintendent, reported that the department had contracted with Security
Plus to install emergency alarm equipment. The city's police dispatchers
had previously handled that, but that was eliminated with the switch to
the combined city-county dispatch system. The cost of installation and a
one year lease is $2,924.02. |
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Street crew takes on winter
Rodney Fishler, Street Superintendent for Prairie du Chien,
has provided a snow removal primer for city residents by putting many
frequently asked questions, and perhaps some that should be asked, in a
question-answer format. Read on for some useful information and interesting
statistics.
How much manpower does it take to plow our streets, alleys,
parking lots and bike paths/sidewalks?
The staff at the Street, Water and Wastewater Treatment
Departments has been working together on snow removal from our city streets.
During this time of year, questions are sometimes asked about how the Street
Department does it all. The bottom line is, we have a highly skilled staff
capable of performing a multitude of projects, but at the same time, the staff
is cross-trained to cover one another in case of an emergency or a time-off
situation.
What roads is the department responsible for plowing?
The department is responsible for all local and state
highways including alleys, airports, city parking lots, cul-de-sacs and
bicycle path/sidewalks (to City-owned buildings) located within the city
limits.
Why is it that I never seem to see a snowplow during a
winter storm?
The department is responsible for snow removal on over 60
lane miles of street, seven lane miles of alleys, five miles of bicycle
path/sidewalk, and five parking lots. This is all done with only five dump
trucks, two loaders, one grader, one skid loader and one 4x4 truck. The number
of lane miles of street, if laid end-to-end, would be well over 400 miles long
(enough to drive from Prairie du Chien to St. Louis, Missouri) just for a
single snow fall.
How much salt is used in a typical season and how much does
it cost?
The department uses approximately 300 tons of salt each
season. The average cost of salt is about $46.00 per ton.
During some winter storms it seems like the department does
a good job, but during other storms it seems that they aren't doing a very
good job. Why the difference in performance?
One of the biggest factors that determines our performance
is the type of storm and temperatures. Storms with low temperatures can be
difficult because salting becomes less effective at the lower temperatures. It
takes nearly eight times as much salt to melt a pound of ice at 20¼ than at
30¼. There are many combinations of winter storms that can hit Prairie du
Chien during the winter, and each poses unique problems to snowplow operators.
How many snowplows does the department have?
The department has five dump trucks, two loaders, one 4x4
truck and one skid loader, all with plows, that are available for snow
removal. The Water Department also has a utility vehicle with a plow that is
available as well. These plows are workhorses when you look at the quantity of
snow they actually push during a normal winter. In a normal year, Prairie du
Chien averages about 32-34 inches of snow. If you consider that an average
cubic foot of snow weighs about 8 pounds (it varies between 6-12 depending on
moisture content), this means that each piece of equipment in the fleet pushes
18,700 tons of snow each year, city-wide, with a grand total in excess of
150,000 tons per year.
What hours do the plows maintain during a storm?
Typically, plows are operating throughout both day and
night, but may be reduced at times to allow the operators time off for rest.
If weather conditions become so severe that we are unable to make progress,
trucks may be pulled off the roads until conditions improve. The safety of our
operators must be considered at all times as well. When we are informed that a
storm is approaching, our initial decision is made after closely monitoring
all of the following factors:
´Amount of snow that is expected.
´The moisture content.
´Expected time and temperatures as the storm approaches.
´Expected time and temperatures as it departs.
Once these factors have been considered, the decision is
made as to whether or not our call-out staff is notified to treat the
pavement, or if conditions warrant plowing, the entire crew is called in to
begin plowing operations.
Basically, timing is everything. Many other factors can
arise, but for the most part, we start plowing the major truck routes on
Marquette Road, Iowa and Wisconsin Street first, as well as other heavily
traveled areas. From there, we move to the emergency routes (such as the
hospital and police department) and then on to our local back/side streets.
What kind of problems exists for city staff?
Typically, it's a lot easier to clean streets during the
night time because of low volumes of traffic and not nearly as many parked
cars along curbs. During daytime hours, it's much more difficult to clear that
snow and ice due to larger amounts of traffic, pedestrians and hundreds of
vehicles parked along the curb, which doesn't allow us to complete the number
of passes that we would normally make on our local streets.
Once that has been accomplished (usually by the afternoon
hours), we then start again at midnight to clear snow from the curbs and begin
hauling snow. Due to alternate side parking, it generally requires the crew to
work through two nights to remove the snow from both sides of the streets.
How long do I have to clean my sidewalk?
The Municipal Code states that the owner or occupant shall
clean the sidewalk (full-width) by noon of each day, or within three hours of
daylight after the snow ceases to fall.
Can I push, blow or throw snow back into the street?
The Municipal Code prohibits owners or occupants from
placing snow onto any road or alley. Violation of this code is subject to
penalty. It is considered a public safety hazard and creates additional time
and expense onto city budgets.
I cleaned my sidewalk last night and today it's covered
again! Why?
As frustrating as it can be for the property owner, the
operators are really only doing their jobs by cleaning up the snow left on the
streets from alternating parked vehicles. Sidewalks are then sometimes
re-covered with snow because of plowing those areas where alternate parking
was in effect the night prior.
The Public Works Department appreciates your patience in
their efforts to remove snow as effectively and efficiently as possible. By
working together, we strive to make our local streets and alleys safe for all
who travel them.
Bald eagles steal the show
Despite the cold, the lobby of the AmericInn was crowded
Saturday with people eager to see the eagle presentations by Joan Schnagel and
Scott Mehus of the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minn.
Schnagel and Mehus described the life and habits of bald
eagles, with the assistance of two eagles, Angel and Columbia who, because of
injuries, cannot be returned to the wild.
Other eagle-related events were exhibits and field trips to
selected spots on the river to watch for eagles in the wild.
The day was combined with the annual Fisheree. For more
pictures, see Page 5.
Being prepared before tragedy strikes
PdC School District continues to improve crisis plan
By Ted Pennekamp
The Prairie du Chien School District is in the process of
revising and upgrading its Crisis Response Plan. The plan was developed in
2003 and revised on Dec. 20, 2005.
Prairie du Chien High School Guidance Counselor Nancy
Becker recently attended a seminar and has since helped organize a Crisis Team
in an effort to incorporate the knowledge she gained at the seminar as well as
the ideas of the other 14 members of the team.
"We are revising the Crisis Response Plan in order to keep
it current, to improve it and to find and fill in gaps," said Becker. Becker
said that the recent tragedies at Weston High School made Prairie du Chien
administrative personnel and district staff members more acutely aware of
crisis intervention concerns and to find ways to improve the plan.
The Crisis Team is reviewing all aspects of the plan, which
not only involves how the district will handle the unexpected death of a
student or staff member, but also fire and tornado drills and safety
procedures, how to handle a bomb threat, guidelines for memorials following a
death, how to best help grieving students and staff members, how to best
utilize community support resources, working with the fire department, the
police department and other emergency personnel, and numerous other aspects of
the plan.
The Crisis Response Plan Mission Statement reads,
"Recognizing the importance of familiarity and trust within the school family,
it is our objective to prepare school personnel for effectively handling
potential tragedy. We will maintain a safe and stable environment while
helping to make the incident a growth experience instead of just a tragic
experience."
A few of the improvements in the plan so far include having
the secretaries in all of the school buildings involved as part of the Crisis
Team, giving updated floor plans of all buildings to the police and fire
departments, possibly having room numbers on the outside windows, setting up
"phone trees" by which staff members on one side of an evacuated building can
call staff on the other side in an effort to make sure that everyone is
accounted for, and having a list of all district employees who are certified
in CPR, first aide, or as an EMT.
Nancy Becker said that staff members will undergo update
training concerning the Crisis Response Plan as part of their normal inservice
before each school year. She said that it is hoped that the revised Crisis
Response Plan is in place by next fall.
Becker also noted that updating the Crisis Response Plan
will be an ongoing venture.
"It is a continual process," she said. "We'll keep on
revising and revising."
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