Decision on leasing the tourist information center, closed by the Wisconsin tourism department, was tabled at last night's meeting of the Prairie du Chien Common Council.

Following notification last month that the state would no longer maintain the city's tourist information center, the Prairie du Chien Chamber of Commerce proposed leasing the facility from the city at a reduced rate provided the city continue to supply utilities, maintenance and other services as in the past.

Although there appeared to be no opposition to the lease, there was disagreement about the term of the lease. City Attorney Tom Peterson explained that a one year lease with option to renew would be in the city's best interest, but the Chamber, which would be investing money and staff in the center, wanted a longer commitment.

Mayor Cheryl Mader said one problem is the city needs to be sure the lease covers the city's maintenance costs. There had not been time, she said, to do a cost analysis.

Peterson suggested the possibility of signing a five year lease with set yearly increases. The decision was tabled until the next meeting so the city's maintenance costs for the building could be analyzed.

In other business, council:

´Authorized City Administrator Jim Gitz to work with former city planner Garth Frable, county extension coordinator Laura Brown and the personnel committee to refine the job description for city planner and then advertise for the position.

´Authorized temporary oversight of Hoffman Hall following the resignation of manager Deana Protz and approved preparation of a plan for future operation of the facility. Consensus was that attendance and participation in the Hoffman Hall activities had increased.

´Approved the lease of the LaRiviere Equestrian Park Campground area by The LaRiviere Riders. The lease stipulates the obligations and terms of use.

´Authorized hiring a part-time assistant clerk-treasurer for 20 hours a week as a limited-term employee. Judy Lee, the present deputy city clerk-treasurer, will retire the end of January.

A five-person committee, headed by veteran Dean La Pointe, has contracted with a memorial company and is seeking a location for a new veteran's memorial in Prairie du Chien. The current memorial, located at the Old Rock School, is deteriorating and will need to be taken down sometime in the near future, La Pointe said.

"Our veterans deserve the best in return for the honor and dignity they have shown our community and their country," said La Pointe, who noted that the theme for the new memorial will be "The Fallen Soldier."

"I selected The Fallen Soldier because soldiers help soldiers in time of war and veterans help veterans," La Pointe said.

La Crosse Memorials has been selected to construct the new veteran's memorial, which will be a five-pointed star with five tablets of black granite. The names of all Prairie du Chien veterans, living or deceased, will be etched into each tablet of black granite.

"The five points of the star symbolize the five branches of the service we currently have in our armed forces today, Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard," said La Pointe. "The Merchant Marines, which was one of our branches in the past will also be recognized within the memorial."

La Pointe said that the committee is considering several locations for the memorial, most notably at a site along South Main Street across from the Prairie du Chien Tourist Information Center. There is a small parking lot next to the property, which is owned by the state of Wisconsin. La Pointe said that State Senator Dan Kapanke is looking into the possibility of acquiring the property at no cost to the city.

"That location would be ideal," said La Pointe. "There are between 1,100 and 1,400 vehicles per day that drive past that corner. If we could get that property, that would be nice. We could also possibly develop it into a veteran's historical park with granite seating and other features."

La Pointe estimated that the new veteran's memorial would cost between $90,000 and $100,000. It is hoped that the memorial would be completed by sometime in 2009. "It would depend upon how fast the money comes in," said La Pointe, who noted that so far the project is being funded entirely upon donations.

Donation cans for the memorial have been set up at numerous local businesses and pamphlets have also been distributed. Money has been trickling in and La Pointe said that some fundraising activities will be coming in the spring and summer. Interested persons will soon be able to purchase personalized "bricks" that will be displayed at the memorial, much like those at the St. Feriole Island Ballpark.

La Pointe said that 3-foot by 3-foot photographs of the proposed memorial will be on display in the near future at City Hall and at the Crawford County Administrative Building. These photographs will then be moved to various locations within the city.

La Pointe is asking area citizens "to give the veterans the recognition they so richly deserve by sending your contributions to:"

Prairie du Chien Veteran's Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 5, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821.

Those seeking more information about the new veteran's memorial can pick up pamphlets at the Veteran's Service Office or by calling the office at (608) 326-0204. People may also call Dean La Pointe at (608) 326-2779.

Embattled hog farmer A.V. Roth of the town of Wauzeka will finally receive his license to expand. Thursday morning, the Crawford County Land Conservation Committee voted to grant Roth his much-contested license. Six committee members, including County Board Chairman Ron Leys who was sitting in, voted in favor of granting the license. Phillip Mueller and Harriet Behar abstained.

"This is one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make," said Leys. "I don't think that this (the hog farm) is a good fit in Crawford County. It will adversely affect real estate values and the quality of life. However, I swore an oath that I would uphold the State Constitution. The legislation handcuffs us. Mr. Roth has in good faith followed the law. I reluctantly will vote to approve it (the license).

"I do think that this is very bad legislation," Leys continued as he urged people to pay attention to what state legislators are doing and to who is, or will be, running for election in the future.

"It's horrible legislation," said Mueller. "There are members of DATCP (Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection) who should be ashamed of themselves. Ashamed."

"This is a gut wrenching concern," said Committee Chairman Virgil Butteris. "It tears people up. But, Mr. Roth has followed every step of the law. DATCP was totally wrong in the way they handled this."

Following its December meeting, the Land Conservation Committee found an independent state certified nutrient management specialist to review Roth's nutrient management plan, which had come under fire from members of the Crawford Stewardship Project, who cited alleged inadequacies.

The county hired Randy Busch who resides in Trempealeau County. Busch, an employee of Rock River Labs, reviewed 19 nutrient management plans in 2007 and is a member of the Quality Assurance Board for DATCP. Members of the Land Conservation Committee said Thursday that Busch was highly regarded and was a good choice to review Roth's plan.

Busch presented his findings to the committee during Thursday's meeting. He said that Roth's plan was "better than most" plans that he reviews each year. "It's right up there. It is a very well written plan," he said. Busch said that he had a minor concern regarding the mapping of wells on the property and another concern about the confirmation of nutrient concentration in the actual manure pit. Busch said that his concerns were alleviated when Roth and Ed Ruff, a state certified nutrient management specialist, told the committee that the wells are mapped and that the nutrient concentration numbers are confirmed.

Busch also said that all of Roth's fields conform to state guidelines. The phosphorus index and the soil rotational levels were not a concern, he said. Also, Roth's 181 acres was enough for the expansion of Roth's sow population to 2,900 animals. "There are enough acres. It was just fine," he said. In the hallway following the meeting, Busch said that Roth has "a very good plan."

Following the vote, Edie Ehlert, fighting back tears, said, "The health and safety of the neighbors has not been addressed." Ehlert, a resident of Ferryville, is a member of the Crawford Stewardship Project.

"I've tried doing the best job that I possibly could," said Roth after the meeting. "I want to ease any concerns that they (his neighbors) may have." Roth said that the license application process "went about the way I thought it would." While he expressed some relief now that he will be getting his license from Crawford County, Roth also noted that he expects some more resistance to his proposed expansion.

Jennifer M. Nelson, a member of the Crawford Stewardship Project, said that the Crawford Stewardship Project will be looking into "several options" as to how they will proceed. Nelson said that her organization will be speaking with state officials and with U.S. Senator Russ Feingold.

New City Administrator Jim Gitz is no stranger to the workings of law and government, so when he applied for the position in Prairie du Chien, he knew what he was looking for. The more he looked, he said, the more he liked what he saw.

"I paid a lot of attention to the people I'd be working with," he explained. "I liked the mayor and council members and the way they worked together."

He was very impressed, he said, with the fact that the city not only had a plan, but was intent on governing according to that plan. "I think that's a rarity in municipal government," he said. "Many communities have a plan, but not every community carries it out."

There were other factors as well. Quality of life was an important factor for Gitz and his family. "It's not only a nice community already," he explained, "but it definitely has an eye on the future. The plans are noteworthy and exciting." He added. "Prairie du Chien is a very special area in the state of Wisconsin. Northwestern Illinois natives would like to think that's God's country, but Wisconsin may be closer to it. It's a real privilege to be here."

His many qualifications include former state legislator for the state of Illinois, practicing attorney and general counsel to the City of Urbana. In addition, he said, he has been in a variety of legal settings representing public entities and local government and has always been attracted to the workings of local government.

Gitz, who began his duties as city administrator Dec. 17, is still living in temporary quarters, but he and his wife, Jessica, are looking for a four bedroom house in Prairie du Chien. "It's a high priority for us to get moved and settled," he said. "We all look forward to being here."

Gitz has a son, Jeffrey, age eight, and a daughter, Elizabeth, one year old. There are also two stepchildren, Daniel, age eight, and Kryston, age 15.

Because of the children, it was important to find a place with a lot of things for kids to do. Gitz, who grew up on a farm, is happy to see there are so many nature-related activities. He has, he says, an appreciation for the land and the environment that he wants to pass on to his children.

Gitz said he has been privileged to have jobs he enjoyed doing, and is excited about the work to be done in Prairie du Chien. "The mayor and council have laid out an ambitious agenda," he said. He cited the streetscape improvements to downtown slated for this summer, recent and future improvements along Marquette Road, and the planned Hwy 18 bypass. He added, "They've made it clear they don't want to stop there.

He likes the city's approach to preserving history and traditions while still redeveloping areas in need. All the plans for the future mean, he said, "that as a small staff we have a lot of work to do."

Filling the vacant city planner position will be a big help, Gitz said, and noted that with all the planned and future projects for which there may be grants available, the job is more akin to community development.

Gitz said he intends to avail himself of the experience of former city planner Garth Frabel and other individuals such as Gary Koch, who served as city administrator in the past. "It's important as an administrator to appreciate what's been going on before and to build on it," said Gitz.

Senator Russ Feingold listened attentively for an hour as area residents brought forth their issues and concerns at a Jan. 2 listening session. Taking notes and promising responses, Feingold heard concerns about confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), social security, health care, the war in Iraq and other items.

Approximately 10 individuals voiced concern over the hotly contested CAFO which was granted a permit in Crawford County. Speakers on that issue expressed concerns about health and environment as well as the loss of local power in making decisions on such operations.

Several people also voiced the need for a guaranteed health care system which did not drain the resources of individuals or of state governments.

Among other concerns were Social Security, funding for control of invasive species in the Mississippi River, special interest earmarks attached to legislation, ending the war in Iraq so there is money to solve problems home, global warming, decline of the dollar and politicians without the courage of their convictions.

A number of people thanked Feingold for his assistance following the summer floods, his attention to health care concerns and help with matters of personal concern.

At the beginning of the listening session, Feingold briefly outlined the major issues he will push in 2008. These include:

´State-based health care reform. The State-based Health Care Reform Act, introduced by Feingold and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, would launch pilot programs in several states to help them achieve health care coverage in the best way they see fit. By reviewing coverage provided by these states, Congress can determine the best way to ensure all Americans receive the care they need.

´Fixing No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Feingold joined with Sen. Pat Leahy to introduce the Improving Student Testing Act which would reform NCLB's testing mandates and encourage use of multiple measures of assessment.

´Presidential public financing. Feingold joined with three other legislators in introducing the Presidential Funding Act of 2007, which would institute a variety of reforms to make the presidential funding system more practical and appealing to candidates.

´Clean water restoration. The Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007 would clarify that the Clean Water Act is intended to protect the nation's waters from pollution.

´Curbing wasteful spending. The Congressional Accountability and Line-item Veto Act, introduced by Feingold and Rep. Paul Ryan, also of Wisconsin, would create a line-item veto to target wasteful earmarks, improve congressional accountability and deter lawmakers from inserting frivolous spending into future bills.

The listening session was Feingold's second of 2008 and 1,082nd since 1993.

Filing for Prairie du Chien City elections closed Jan. 2, and official candidates are as follows:

Michael Brouse, Karl Steiner, Bill Lynch and incumbent Cheryl Mader for mayor.

District One, incumbent Jaaren Riebe; District Two, incumbent David Hemmer; District Three, incumbent Phil Dagnon; District Six, Michael Brouse.

No one has filed for the seats in District Four and Five being vacated by Nate Gilberts and Aaron Collins.

Although other candidates may still seek office, their names will not be on the ballot, and they will have to run as write-in candidates.