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Library expansion plans take a step forward

Libraries are designed to expand people's learning, imaginations and horizons and the Prairie du Chien Public Library, of course, is no exception.

In an effort to best serve the community and expand people's horizons, there has been a move afoot for several years to physically expand the library itself. The proposed expansion of the library took a significant step forward recently when preliminary plans were completed and delivered to the library Dec. 8.

The preliminary architectural plans were conceived and drawn up by three advanced engineering students enrolled at UW­Platteville. The students, working as part of GREENS (Geotechnical Research and Environmental Engineering of Neighborhood Structures), designed an environmentally friendly addition that will more than double the size of the library while remaining entirely on the current property.

"I think it's important for the library and the city to be leaders in "green design," said Library Director Nancy Ashmore, who noted that the design will increase the library's square footage to an estimated 11,000. The library now has 5,100 square feet. Ashmore also explained that the more environmentally friendly the design is, the more grant money there is available.

The preliminary design is available for all to view at the library. The design calls for expansion of the library to the south towards East Wisconsin Street. The fountain would have to be moved approximately 15 feet. By keeping the building all on city property, there would be no need to come up with money to purchase any adjacent property.

Now that UW­Platteville graduates Alexis Straka, Jonathan Styx and Sarah White have completed the design, the next step is to raise "seed" money in order to pay an architectural firm to come up with a final design. Ashmore said that there are three architectural firms that have shown an interest. All three have experience in designing libraries.

While the final design would probably be very similar to the recently completed design, Ashmore said that an architectural firm and a final plan are needed in order to obtain grant money to pay for the construction of the library addition.

Anyone who has visited the library within the past few years can see that space is indeed quite limited. In fact, Ashmore has moved a lot of furniture into the basement in order to make room for an ever-expanding array of equipment and materials.

"We need to at least double the floor space of the library," said Ashmore, who noted that the library has added about 400 new patrons a year for at least the last four years.

In addition, circulation has increased by 50 percent over the last eight years and five public access internet computers have been added. The library is also heavily used by people checking out movies and music CDs. The DVD collection has gone from zero to more than 1,000 in the last two years and there are 700 VHS tapes and 500 music CDs available. The collection and popularity of audio books is also continuing to expand. "All of these categories could be increased," said Ashmore.

"We would be able to do so much more with a new addition," said Ashmore, who explained that 6,000 more books would bring the total up to 40,000 volumes, which is the amount that a library should have in a city the size of Prairie du Chien.

Ashmore also explained that the popular children's programs, which draw up to 150 children per event, have had to be moved to the community room in City Hall because there is not enough room at the library. Also, the Wisconsin History and Genealogy Room is currently being used for several other purposes. The new addition would allow this room to be used solely for its intended purpose.

The new addition would also allow for a more comfortable reading area, more audiovisual materials, five more public access computers and a drive-up book drop.

Physical features would include aluminum roofing, skylights, pre-stressed hollow core slabs, insulated foam forms and a recycling of the existing windows.

Aluminum roofing is lightweight, tough, recyclable, durable and reflective, which allows it to dissipate heat quickly, thus cooling the roof quickly during the summer months.

Skylights provide for natural lighting and reduce the need for artificial lighting.

Pre-stressed hollow core slabs are simple and easy to install, are cost effective, and produce no wasted forms.

Insulated foam forms accomplish forming, framing and insulating all in one step and eliminate waste from wood forms. They also add 30 percent more strength than concrete poured in wood forms.

The recycling of existing windows eliminates waste from renovation and reduces material cost by reusing removed windows.

Ashmore has been researching grant possibilities for the last couple of years and she is hoping that the new library addition can be built in the relatively near future. "I am hoping within five years," she said, in noting that the timeline will be influenced by several factors. "I am going to work hard to get this done."

Ashmore said that anyone interested in donating to the library, for the new addition or for any other purpose, can contact her at the library at (608) 326-6211. All donations are tax deductible.

New Year's: From resolutions to roses, what's it all about anyway?

For many of us, New Year's Eve means a time to relax, celebrate with friends, maybe have an extra day off work to hunt one last deer, or just sit around and catch up on your NFL and NCAA football league standings. But to millions of Americans, celebrating the new year is only about one thing: making the resolution.

Whether it's to lose weight, quit a bad habit of smoking or drinking, save money or just to spend more time with your loved ones, many of us make a resolution and (regardless of whether we follow through with them or not) why exactly do we do it?

The celebration of New Year's is the oldest of all holidays. The first observation dates back about 4,000 years ago to ancient Babylon. The Babylonians celebrated the new year at the end of March when spring began and new crops were planted. The Babylonians also had no written calendar to base a date off of. In 153 B.C., however, the Roman senate declared January 1 to be the beginning of the new year. The story goes that at this time Janus, a mythical king of early Rome, was placed at the head of the calendar. Janus had two faces: one to look on past events and one toward the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked to forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each new year. The month of January is also named after this ancient king.

In the middle ages, the Catholic Church condemned the festivities of the new year, considering it an act of paganism, and Christians changed their New Year's Day to December 25, coinciding with the birth of Jesus. It was later changed to March 25 before Pope Gregory XIII revised the calendar, returning the celebration of New Year to Jan. 1.

Although many customs and celebrations have no doubt changed since those ancient times, some are still the same. Apparently, the early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. According to most American polls the top ten most common new year resolutions are: lose weight, stop smoking, stick to a budget, save or earn more money, find a better job, become more organized, exercise more, be more patient at work/with others, eat better and become a better person. This list is no exception to people in Southwest Wiscconsin. According to Carlton Johnson, owner of The Body Shop in Prairie du Chien, the membership numbers are highest in January. "Our busiest months are January, February and March," Johnson said. He also said the numbers are high in April, as well, and then they start to decline. The Boscobel Health and Fitness Club reports the same pattern.

Nancy Stewart, RN, CDE and Facilitator for Journey to Freedom Program at Gundersen Lutheran reports that she receives a noticeable larger volume of calls related to quiting smoking at the beginning of the year.

Other traditions include "Auld Lang Syne" ‹ the song that everyone sings, but no one knows the words to. "Auld Lang Syne" was written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1741, but wasn't published until 1796 after Burns' death. "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days."

The Parade of Roses, now accompanied by the Rose Bowl football game, is also a very old and interesting New Year's day tradition. According to Pasadena Tournament of Roses website, the first Tournament of Roses was held in 1890 by members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club, former residents of the East and Midwest eager to showcase their new home's mild winter weather.

More than 2,000 people turned out on New Year's Day to watch a parade of flower-covered carriages, followed by foot races, polo matches and tugs-of-war on the town lot. The abundance of flowers prompted Professor Holder to suggest "Tournament of Roses" as a suitable name for the festival.

In 1902, the Tournament of Roses Association decided to enhance the day's festivities by adding a football game. Stanford University took on powerhouse University of Michigan, and was defeated 49-0, giving up in the third quarter. Because of such a lopsided score, the Tournament then gave up football in favor of Roman-style chariot races.

In 1916, football returned to stay as the sports centerpiece of the festival.

Whatever tradition you follow for your New Year's celebration, one theme is sure to carry though in all of them: good luck and prosperity in the new year for all.

Parents and teachers plan for life after ECHOES

Prairie du Chien school board member Lonnie Achenbach was the lone dissenting vote against the closing of ECHOES charter school in Eastman. Achenbach said he knew the school would be forced to close because of declining enrollment, but he just could not vote for it when the issue was brought before the school board last fall.

"Once a school closes, a community dies," Achenbach lamented. "We had a really great school here."

Achenbach has been a member of the ECHOES governance board since the school was formed about seven years ago. ECHOES serves pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade in mixed-age classrooms. The philosophy of the school is to respect the different ways children learn and offer more hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. ECHOES enrollment of 31 students this year is simply not enough to justify keeping the school open. Achenbach says it is frustrating because there about 60 children in the community who are eligible to attend ECHOES, but whose parent choose to send them to other schools or home school them.

Parents of ECHOES students are making plans for next year. According to Achenbach, students will be sprinkled throughout area schools including Wauzeka-Stueben, Seneca, parochial schools and Prairie du Chien schools. Achenbach says he and his wife are debating where to send their own children. Next year, former ECHOES students will average a two hour bus ride daily to attend school.

The nearly century-old Eastman school building will be returned to the village of Eastman. According to Achenbach, it will be sold to the village for one dollar. The village already owns and maintains the grounds around the building. The Courier Press was unable to reach Eastman Village Clerk Betty Bell, but the issue of the future uses of the building may be discussed at this month's village meeting.

Teachers Gretchen Stoehr, Janet Kilburg and Kathleen Kratchey will be eligible for jobs within the Prairie du Chien school district. Stoehr is a title one reading teacher and is assured of a position; the other two teachers may have to wait for other teachers to retire for their jobs.

Stoehr says that despite facing the closing of the school, the teachers and students are doing well. "We're trying to make the best of it, we're having a good year," she said. Still, she noted that at the school's Christmas program that people seemed a little more emotional, and several of the children's grandparents came up to hug her. "One of them told me, this is the last year we'll get to do this," Stoehr said.

Prairie du Chien man killed in Dec. 30 two-car collision

On December 30, at 9:42 p.m. the Grant County Sheriff's Department was notified of a head on crash with fatality on Highway 18 and 133 in Patch Grove Township.

Matthew Torgerson, 21, from Prairie du Chien and passenger Andrea Walz, 21, from Fitchburg were traveling west on Highway 18 and 133 in a 2002 Pontiac owned by Walz. Jennifer Oyen, 27, of Fennimore was traveling east on Highway 18 and 133 driving a 1994 Oldsmobile. Both vehicles were totaled.

Oyen lost control of her vehicle on the ice-covered road and crossed the centerline, striking Torgerson head on. Torgerson was pronounced dead at the scene by the Grant County Coroner, Ron Sturmer. Walz and Oyen were listed in critical condition. Torgerson, Walz and Oyen were all wearing their seatbelts.

The Grant County Sheriff's Department was assisted at the scene by West Grant EMS, Fennimore EMS, Fennimore Jaws of Life, Mt. Hope Fire, Wisconsin State Patrol and B & M's Towing.

The accident remains under investigation.

No paper due to holiday