|
Gays Mills Flood Pictures g Soldiers Grove Flood Pictures g Steuben flood pictures on this link |
|
Click here for NOAA Mississippi River Stage information CONTACT US for picture reproduction of photos in our paper...reasonable prices! |
Design for new Walgreens approved by two committees Both the city Plan Commission and the Design and Preservation Committee had an opportunity to review the elevation drawings and the plans for a new 14,000 square foot Walgreens store at Monday night meetings. And both committees gave the store plans their approval. According to city planner Garth Frable, a representative of the Redmond Group, the company that will build the store for Walgreens, has been accommodating. "They have been willing to step up to the plate and make changes," Frable noted. Alderwoman Kathleen Hein agreed. "I was incredibly pleased at how willing they were to work with us. There were a lot of little details that we wanted to change," Hein explained. For example, the designers changed the exterior facade of the building to include cut limestone, instead of a plain, concrete block exterior. They agreed to change the location and the style of the sign for the store. They also agreed to add more greenspace between the parking lot and the street, and to make the store pedestrian friendly with sidewalk access. Hein says that while the design for the store is not historic, it is simple and clean and it will enhance the downtown. "I wanted it to not look suburban," she added. Final drawings for the design will be presented at next month's city council meeting by Brian Cummings of the Redmond Group for approval. The redevelopment of this so-called ïgateway' corner in downtown was made possible after Spahn and Rose Lumber moved their store out to La Pointe Street on the south end of the city. The city of Prairie du Chien became involved at about the same time in order to facilitate the redevelopment process. The process has been complicated. The city has had to contact half a dozen property owners to inquire about their willingness to sell, work with a developer, the Rifkin Group, and with the Wisconsin Department of Commerce to help finance the redevelopment. In addition, the city had to complete an environmental assessment. Eight test wells were bored in the area to assure developers that there was no significant contamination on the site from past uses. Most potential developers don't want to deal with these kind of complexities, they just want to buy a lot and put up a building. "There's a reason this block hasn't been developed in the past," Frable. Plans for the redevelopment of the area extend beyond just a corner Walgreens store. Potentially, the rest of the block extending north along Marquette Rd. could be redeveloped into a 28,000 square foot retail shopping center by the Rifkin Group, providing existing businesses there can be relocated. If everything proceeds smoothly, the Walgreens store should open on November 1. Another piece of the puzzle is the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. According to Frable, the staff at Commerce are working together to develop new methods of assisting cities with economic development. "They are re-inventing how they work with communities, and they are using Prairie as a model," Frable explained. The Department of Commerce is assisting the city by providing $100,000 for the Walgreens project, which the city will recapture when the project is completed. This process could be replicated for the redevelopment of the rest of the lots on the block, to create a pool of cash with which the city can start a revolving loan fund. The revolving loan fund would be available to new and existing businesses to help finance such projects as remodelling and exterior improvements to their buildings and other purposes. Mayor Cheryl Mader says that the city already uses a similarly structured revolving fund to help homeowners finance housing improvements, and that it is quite successful. "We will be using and reusing that money for years to come," she said.
Blackhawk under attack? The Prairie du Chien High School nickname, logo and mascot are coming under a bit of fire as of late. At Monday night's school board meeting, Superintendent Jim O'Meara told the board that the district has received a letter from Wisconsin Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster asking the district to do away with its long-standing nickname of "The Blackhawks" as well as any related logos or mascots. O'Meara said that the district has received two letters from the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, which also asked that the nickname, logo and mascot be dropped. In addition, O'Meara said that the American Psychological Association was cited for its recent finding that derogatory Native American nicknames, logos or mascots can have a detrimental effect upon students, especially Native American students. There are currently two bills in the Wisconsin House of Representatives and the Senate addressing the school nickname issue that has seemingly once again become a hot political football. Neither of these bills has been acted upon yet. O'Meara said Monday night that he feels that the district should continue to monitor the issue but that the board should not act until such time as a bill becomes law. He said that Prairie du Chien has a rich Native American heritage, which is honored by the city and the high school in a variety of ways and in a dignified manner. The dignified statue of Chief Blackhawk on St. Feriole Island was cited, along with the names Blackhawk Avenue, the name of Commerce Court Mall being changed to Blackhawk Junction and the fact that the City Council Chambers display paintings depicting Chief Blackhawk and other Native American symbols. Prairie du Chien is one of 32 school districts in the state that have been identified by the Department of Public Instruction as being discriminatory because of their use of Native American nicknames or logos. Board member Joe Atkins said that he would like someone, possibly from the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, to come to talk to the school board about the issue. Board President Brian Edwards said he doesn't understand how the nickname "Blackhawks" can be construed as offensive or discriminatory. Edwards said that the nickname honors the heritage of the region and that the board should not act unless the law is changed. "Where does this type of thing end?" asked Edwards. In other action, the board approved a contract extension for Assistant Elementary Principal-Special Education Director Adrianne Schneider through June 30, 2008. The board also voted not to extend the contract of District Business Manager Michael Coughlin. Coughlin's contract will expire on June 30, 2007. In further business, the board: *Was informed by Assistant High School Principal-Athletic Director Joe Zydowsky that the high school girls softball team will play its games at St. Feriole Island Park starting this spring. The softball team had previously played its games at Cecil Smith Field. In addition, the junior varsity and freshmen baseball teams will hold some practices at St. Feriole Island Park and the junior varsity will play some games there. The moves have been done at no cost through an agreement between the school district, the city and the St. Feriole Island Park Committee. *The board was informed that the Countywide School Board Meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on March 8 in the Learning Lab at Prairie du Chien High School. Issues to be discussed include the new law that will allow busing into other school districts and by other school districts in order to transport students that have enrolled in districts other than the one in which they reside. Another issue will be a discussion of how the various school districts in Crawford County are combatting high energy costs. The Countywide Board Meeting is a public meeting and the public is invited to attend.
Moran announces plans to run for Crawford County Sheriff Crawford County Undersheriff Jerry Moran announced at a press conference Thursday afternoon at City Hall in Prairie du Chien that he will be running for Sheriff in the upcoming fall election. Moran and Sheriff Robert Ostrander will each be running as Democrats so there will be a September primary. Crawford County Clerk Janet Geisler said that there are no other candidates at this time, however, prospective candidates can begin circulating nomination papers on June 1. A minimum of 200 signatures are needed and a maximum of 400 will be accepted. The last day for filing for candidacy is July 11 at 5 p.m. "I feel I can do a better job in the Sheriff's Department and with the residents of Crawford County," said Moran about his decision to run for Sheriff. Moran noted that he has been encouraged to seek the office by many within the law enforcement community as well as many private citizens. "I've been considering running for Sheriff for a long time," he said. As his four daughters Melissa, Nicole, Jerilynn and Kasie stood behind him, Moran said that he will soon be leaving his employment with the Sheriff's Department so that he can dedicate his time to his campaign. "I feel that in good faith, I would not be able to do justice to the department while I am a candidate for the Sheriff's position," he said. Moran, a 33-year law enforcement veteran, has served as Crawford County Undersheriff since Jan. 1999. He began his law enforcement career as a part-time police officer in Soldiers Grove in 1973 and was promoted to Chief of Police in 1983. Moran emphasized that his main goal will be to establish a firm basis for cooperation between the Sheriff's Dept. and other law enforcement agencies, other emergency responder organizations and private citizens. "Trust and cooperation is my motto for this campaign," said Moran, who described his "trust-based policing philosophy," with which he will work hard to build the community's trust in the Sheriff's Dept. Moran identified several areas in which he will concentrate his efforts, including: ´ Improving cooperation among all emergency services agencies. ´ Improving drug education by working with local schools. ´ Improving drug enforcement by designating a person in the Sheriff's Dept. to specialize in this area. ´ Reestablishing a multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement task force. ´ Solidifying the Sheriff's Dept. chain of command. ´ Developing and implementing an employee policy and procedure manual. ´ Reestablishing a crisis resolution team working with the Prairie du Chien Police Dept. ´ Establishing a working environment that will enable all Sheriff's Dept. members to work productively and harmoniously. ´ Increasing dive team training. During a question and answer session, Moran further stressed the importance of increasing the role of the Sheriff's Dept. in the areas of drug intervention and enforcement. "We have to do that. We just do," he said. "It's an area that's very serious in Crawford County." Moran conceded that the Sheriff's Dept. faces budgetary constraints in its effort to fight drugs. He said he will work hard, however, with the Crawford County Board in order to obtain more money for drug enforcement. Moran said that he will select a person to be undersheriff later in his campaign. "It will be someone with extensive law enforcement experience," he said. Editor's Note: Crawford County Sheriff Robert Ostrander, who is running for reelection, will also be contacted about a possible upcoming article in order to provide the opportunity for equal time. Bagley residents win in Powerball As of Feb. 8, several Bagley area people are smiling a little more broadly than usual. That's because 77 area residents will split $10,000 that was won in the Wednesday, Feb. 8 Powerball drawing. That comes out to $129.87 apiece. "It was very exciting," said Thomas G. Pace of Bagley, who purchased the winning ticket at The Port, a gas station and convenience store located on Highway 18 in the town of Bridgeport. "It was great fun." Pace said that the 77 people have been pooling their resources for about two weeks in hopes of winning the $210 million Powerball. Pace purchased 210 tickets for the group for the Feb. 8 drawing. Now, in the wake of their biggest win to date, they have purchased 420 tickets for the next drawing. "Hopefully we'll win the big jackpot someday," said Pace, who noted that the $10,000 ticket was only one number away from the jackpot on Feb. 8. While no one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot Wednesday, Feb. 8., there were several large winning tickets, including two worth $200,000 and five worth $10,000. The winning numbers from Feb. 8 were 14,25,32,48 and 54. The Powerball was 10 and the Power Play prize multiplier was 5. Local man speaks about his cause In Wisconsin, honest government was always a matter of state pride. The elected officials of the past were known for their dedication and sense of service. There were always the party line divisions and discourse, but the legislators were trying to do the best for the public which elected them. Today, Wisconsin and national news headlines portray a different kind of Wisconsin politics. Not just personal indiscretions now, but bribes, questionable contracts and relationships with the lobbyists and political action organizations are a source of shame today, not the pride of the past in Wisconsin politics. Frequently, the organization Common Cause is mentioned when media addresses the question "what do we do about it?" Common Cause is a nonpartisan nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1970 by John Gardner as a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest. Now with nearly 300,000 members and supporters and 38 state organizations, Common Cause remains committed to honest, open and accountable government, as well as encouraging citizen participation in democracy. Locally, the Cause is alive and fueled by the energies of David Martin, former Republican legislator from Neenah for 10 years (among other positions he's held) and now "retired." Martin and his wife now live in Blue River. Retirement for David is owning and actively operating the Marquette Bar and Cafe (and its apartments) and holding an active board position with Common Cause. A conversation about current politics with Martin is filled with his passion for bipartisan change in politics, campaign finance reform and his hope for the future. Martin recalls the days such as when Gov. Knowles was in office in the late 1960s. "He would call a legislator who he felt was using unethical politics or funding into his office and warned them he would act swiftly to maintain ethics in the legislature," Martin said. He noted that this style of politics is not new. Quoting Mark Hannah, U.S. Senator from Ohio, Martin quipped: "There are two things important in politics: The first is money and I can't remember the second." Through Common Cause, Martin hopes to bring accountability, reforms and increase participation in the political process. The Wisconsin office of Common Cause can be reached in Madison at (608) 256-2686, or on the web at commoncause.org. Prairie Catholic plans for classroom consolidation Catholic education in Prairie du Chien has been around for a long time. According to Father Hubert Boschert, the first Catholic school in the city began in a private home in about 1842. Since then the Catholic school system has been through many changes and seen many improvements. Now Prairie Catholic schools are anticipating another change. Plans are being drafted to move middle school students over to the St. Gabriels campus from St. Johns and to possibly build a new gymnasium. Fundraising for the gymnasium is ongoing. Issues of practicality and the reality of declining enrollment have been the driving forces behind the idea to combine the elementary and middle school programs onto one campus. "Without present population-getting to the size it is, there's an advantage to keeping them together," noted Fr. Boschert. Boschert also expressed that decreasing the number of school crossings would improve safety, and eliminating the need to transport school lunches from one campus to another as other good reasons for the consolidation. Like other area schools, Prairie Catholic has struggled with falling enrollment numbers. This year there are 241 students in the elementary and middle school programs combined. In 1996, there were 366 students, a 34 percent decrease in ten years (St. Gabriels and St. Johns combined schools in 1991). Boschert feels that numbers may be stabilizing now, as there was a decrease of only two students since last year. Some aspects of the consolidation are still being planned. Middle school students will not move to St. Gabriels until the fall of 2007 or 2008. Future use of the school building at St. Johns is under consideration, but Boschert says it will be used for religious education classes for Parish children who attend public school. "As time goes on, we'll be open to whatever possible uses we can make of it," Boschert concluded. |
