Prairie du Chien Common Council last night passed resolutions approving the city’s waterfront plan and a 2009 capital improvement plan in the amount of $1,132,688. Funding is to be obtained through the State of Wisconsin Trust Fund, with $874,200 in 20-year projects at 5.5 percent interest, and $258,488 in 10 year projects at 4.5 percent interest.

Dave Anderson of the firm of PFM, which provides financial advice for the city, said that as part of the stimulus program, the federal government will pay 35 percent of the interest payment throughout the life of the loan. $600,000 of the loan is to be repaid through levy,$295,468 through TIF funding and $237,220 from water and sewer.

The waterfront plan was also approved with amendments as recommended at earlier committee meetings. These changes were mainly to remove a proposed path or boardwalk on the east side of the slough and to move a proposed parking lot and handicapped fishing pier on the east side of the slough from the south side of Washington Street to the north side where park land already exists.

It is expected that copies of the plan will soon be available in the public library and on the city’s website.

Council also approved a report from the Park Board recommending playground equipment purchases. The plan includes removal of hazardous equipment, upgrading of some of the current equipment and addition of new equipment.

Parks and Recreation Director Mike Ulrich said he had consulted with Andrew Peters, a certified playground operator, in drawing up a list of recommendations, and had prioritized the list in terms of parks that have little or no existing equipment. Ulrich said the park themes are merely suggestions.

In order of priority, the recommendation are:

Ulrich said he was not asking that improvements be made all in one year. He said his objective was to provide "innovative equipment that is affordable, durable, maintenance free, safe and accessible to children of all ages and abilities." The total price of all the equipment suggested is $73,166.

Asked if some of the work could be done by volunteers, Ulrich said he was concerned about liability.

Beyond approving the report, no action was taken at the meeting.

In other business, council also:

12th annual Prairie Dog Blues Fest coming

St. Feriole Island will be rockin’ July 31 and Aug. 1 as the 12th annual Prairie Dog Blues Festival comes to town.

The Blues Fest this year will feature 10 bands performing on the stage and two more groups in the beer tent.

Kicking off the evening at 5 p.m. on Friday will be Queenie and The Blue Cats, who combine electric Chicago blues roots with influence from rock, jazz and rhythm and blues to arrive at their signature sound.

Curtis Salgado takes the stage at 7 p.m. Salgado is one of the finest blues vocalists and harmonica players in the country. He spent six years in the Robert Cray Band and has sat in with the likes of Albert Collins, Muddy Waters and Bonnie Raitt.

Beginning at 9 p.m., The Groove Hogs will get the crowd going with a meld of blues, soul and rock. They were described by the Toronto Blues Society as a gutsier Blood, Sweat and Tears crossed with Delbert McClinton. The Hogs play with a horn-fueled intensity that is sure to get the crowd shimmyin’ and shakin’.

The headliner Friday night is Ana Popovic at 11 p.m. Born in the former Yugoslavia, Ana picked up the guitar at the age of 15 and progressed quickly. After playing at festivals in Greece and Hungary and becoming quite popular in the Netherlands and the German blues scene, Ana signed a record deal with Ruf Records of Germany. She then traveled to Memphis to record her first CD in 2000. Ana and her band then toured the United States for the first time and in 2003, her second CD garners a nomination for Best New Artist at the W.C. Handy Awards. Ana has since won multiple awards in the U.S. and abroad. Her live show is great blues, rock with a European twist.

In the tent on Friday will be The Swamp Kings. The Swamp Kings are a Cajun boogie and swamp blues band that is quickly gaining the attention of blues fans with its energetic live performances and their recent CD release Swamp Appeal.

Perry Weber and the Devilles will start things off at noon on Saturday. This Milwaukee based group is quickly making a name for itself as one of the most exciting blues/roots groups to come on the scene in quite some time.

Next up at 2 p.m. is Dave Weld and The Imperial Flames, a high-energy, driving authentic blues band from Chicago. Dave was a founding member of Lil’ Ed and the Imperial Flames. He also spent a year with the Howlin’ Wolf Band and was taught by Blues Hall of Fame slide master J.B. Hutto. Legendary sax man Abb Locke worked and recorded at Chess Records with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, BB King, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins and The Rolling Stones.

Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers take to the stage at 4 p.m. Wherever Thackery plays, he unleashes an intense volley of rockin’ blues guitar guaranteed to leave crowds emotionally spent. Thackery learned directly from blues masters such as Muddy Waters. Thackery was co-founder of The Nighthawks, but since 1987 he has been on the road as a solo musician doing nearly 300 shows a year.

Beginning at 6 p.m., the crowd will be treated to the soulful sound of Johnny Rawls. Rawls has done it all, from recording and producing to songwriting, horn arranging, rhythm, lead and bass guitar, keyboards, vocals and starting a record label. His newest CD "Heart and Soul" was nominated for Best Soul Blues Album in 2007 by the Blues Foundation. Johnny has been nominated four times for the W.C. Handy Awards, and in 2006 won the R&B male vocalist of the year from the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame.

Lil’ Brian and The Zydeco Travelers will light up the stage beginning at 8 p.m. with their sophisticated and unbelievably funky music, which they call Z-Funk. With Buckwheat Zydeco as a mentor and exposure to his Louisiana relatives, Zydeco greats John and Geno Delafose, Lil’ Brian has been schooled in the true roots of Zydeco. Over the years, Lil’ Brian and the Travelers have developed a reputation as the most innovative and musically accomplished Zydeco band on the scene. Brilliantly drawing upon contemporary urban black sounds while remaining true to their Zydeco roots, Lil’ Brian and the Travelers have created an incredibly exciting modern form of Zydeco music.

Headlining on Saturday night will be Davy Knowles and the Back Door Slam. Hailing from The Isle of Man, in the middle of the Irish Sea, this 21-year-old guitarist, singer, songwriter is poised to take the world by storm. Knowles and Back Door Slam have appeared with George Thorogood, Buddy Guy, Kid Rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Gov’t Mule. Knowles has a deep singing voice that has been described as "husky beyond his years." His CD "Roll Away" became a top 5 fixture on Billboard’s Blues Chart. Knowles opened on a short tour this past spring for guitar legend Jeff Beck.

In the tent on Saturday will be Jon Justice whose second album "The Rebound" has received high praise from all around the globe and is jam packed with swamp-driven blues anthems, searing slide guitar and sweet, soulful ballads.

Area Cub’s fans, and I know there are plenty of you out there, would undoubtedly enjoy a new book written by Bagley native Bob Vorwald. In fact, anyone who grew up watching the Cubs on WGN television would find the book very interesting indeed.

Released in March of 2008, "Cubs Forever - Memories from the Men Who Lived Them," celebrates 60 years of WGN TV and the Cubs.

"There has always been a special bond between the Cubs, their fans and WGN," said Vorwald, who has been the director of production at WGN since 1998 and is a lifelong Cub’s fan.

"The Cubs have an unbelievable fan base that is ever loyal and eternally optimistic," he said. "What we’ve built over 60 years at WGN is something unparalleled in the country and maybe even the world. And, Wrigley Field is the greatest television studio in the world."

"Cubs Forever" is not only filled with numerous photos and interesting anecdotes from the team’s top stars, it also delves into all aspects of Cub’s baseball, Wrigley Field and WGN with illuminating accounts of the numerous behind-the-scenes people who make a Cub’s baseball game an experience to remember.

"Along with the great players, managers and television personalities, we also wanted to include the neighborhood and atmosphere around the ballpark, the umpires, and the people who work at the ballpark," explained Vorwald.

For instance, Vorwald noted that there are three men who work inside the Wrigley Field scoreboard, which was built in 1937. He said that balls, strikes, the score and other vitals of the game have been shown via the use of an electronic pulse since the scoreboard was built. Other information such as scores from around the National and American leagues is a completely manual operation.

Vorwald said that the idea for the book came when he was conducting interviews for a television show about the Cubs and their 60-year relationship with WGN. In the course of gathering information for the show, Vorwald conducted more than 60 on camera interviews.

"We had way too much stuff for a two-hour show," he said. "So, we decided to also do a book."

Vorwald interviewed several famous Cub fans such as Bill Murray and Jimmy Buffet for the show and for the book. "I wanted to find out what attracted them to the Cubs," he said.

"My favorite trip was when I interviewed United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens," said Vorwald, who noted that Stevens has been a fervent Cubs fan since he first saw the Cubs in game one of the 1929 World Series at Wrigley Field. The Cubs lost the series to the Philadelphia Athletics.

Stevens had several stories, including the time he saw Babe Ruth and the famous "called shot" in the third game of the 1932 World Series at Wrigley. Not only did the 12-year-old Stevens witness Babe’s blast, he was sitting just three rows behind the notorious mobster Al Capone.

Since his interview with Stevens, Vorwald has traded letters and box scores with the Supreme Court Justice. "I’ve been the beneficiary of some nice stories afterwards," said Vorwald.

Vorwald has interviewed numerous famous Cubs, many of which are or will be Hall of Famers. Amongst those sharing their thoughts in the book are "Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks, Ferguson Jenkins, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Greg Maddux, Andre Dawson, Mark Grace, Ryne Sandberg, Kerry Wood, Ken Holtzman, Sammy Sosa and many others.

"We wanted to remember all of the great moments that Cub fans have seen on WGN over the years," said Vorwald.

Moments such as Ernie Banks’ 500th home run on May 12, 1970, Ken Holtzman’s no-hitter on Aug. 19, 1969, and Kerry Wood’s performance of 20 strikeouts, one hit and no walks on May 6, 1998 readily come to mind.

Vorwald also recalled the first night game at Wrigley Field on Aug. 8, 1988. The game was eventually called because of rain but was entertaining nonetheless.

Morganna "The Kissing Bandit" tried to kiss Ryne Sandberg but was stopped by security before she could complete her mission. Sandberg then promptly hit a home run, perhaps having had his confidence bolstered a bit by Morganna’s affectionate intentions. The crowd cheered with delight.

After the game was called, several Cubs continued to have fun. "Greg Maddux and several other players were running and then sliding on the wet tarp," Vorwald said.

Of course, no book about the Cubs would be complete without the thoughts of legendary announcers and icons Jack Brickhouse and Harry Caray. Brickhouse announced more than 5,000 games over a 34-year span with WGN. Caray worked for 16 seasons announcing Cubs’ games.

"I’ve spent my life listening to them," said Vorwald. "They were both very generous and incredibly kind to everyone."

Vorwald worked as a sports assistant at WGN in 1982 during his junior year at Northwestern University, where he majored in radio, television and film. "Jack and Harry were as friendly and helpful as you can imagine," he said. Brickhouse retired after the 1981 season and Caray took over in 1982.

Vorwald truly enjoys his job of overseeing all of WGN’s sports coverage. "I get paid to go to the ballpark," he said. "And, as color announcer Bob Brenly put it, the booth at Wrigley is the greatest view in sports."

Vorwald oversees the coverage of more than 190 live events per year, including the games of the Cubs, the Bulls, the Blackhawks and the White Sox. He also produces WGN’s coverage of other events such as Chicago’s parades and fireworks.

Vorwald noted that WGN has a special relationship with the teams it covers and the fans because it is the last of the "superstations" offering a vast amount of sports broadcasts for free over a very large area.

Fans of Chicago baseball and WGN will be pleased to know that two more books from Vorwald will soon be in the offing. He is working on "What It Means to be a Cub" and "What It Means to be a White Sox."

"They have been a part of sports at WGN for a long time and there are many great moments to remember," he said.

Prairie du Chien City Administrator Jim Gitz has turned in his resignation effective December 31, 2009.

Gitz submitted his resignation at a closed session of the Personnel Committee Wednesday evening, July 15, called to consider "dismissal, demotion, or discipline of City Administrator."

That meeting stemmed from a July 13 special council meeting to discuss a conflict between Gitz and city planning consultant Garth Frable. No decision was reached at that meeting and the issue was referred to Personnel.

Although there have been rumors of conflict between Gitz and other staff members in the past, Personnel Committee chair person Jaaren Riebe said there had been no formal complaints filed.

Gitz said he offered his resignation as a solution to the issue. He said he felt the council had enough with which to deal without the administrator becoming a source of additional conflict.

The delayed resignation, Gitz said, also gives council time to search for another administrator, and allows him to make plans for his future.

After two years of devastating floods, in 2007 and 2008, which damaged approximately 50 homes, Gays Mills continues to move forward, and has now adopted a name and a plan for the village’s relocation site.

Maura Otis, co-chair of the Long Range Planning Committee, said that although the contracts have not all been finalized, funding has been secured and the Village Board has selected the Chestelson property, designated as Site A on the village’s flood recovery plan, and has approved a design for that property. Although one area on that site has been identified as an area of "archeological interest," Otis said it located near the river and there are no development plans for that area.

The site is located about one mile north of the city center along 131. The development will include property on both sides of the highway, but the majority of the land is located on the east side. It is anticipated that a community center, library and village offices will be built on the west side.

So that planners could put specific cost estimates on paper for grant applications, the board, at a Thursday, July 9 meeting, approved a modified version of one of three plans provided by the consulting and engineering firm of Vierbicher Associates. Otis said she believes that with the stimulus money now available "there are some doors open that wouldn’t be there otherwise." The board also chose North Mills as a tentative name for the site.

Otis said Couleecap has also been working with securing some financing to build a multi-family dwelling and help residents figure out what kind of home they could secure and how to fund it.

Now that a firm has been hired for planning and engineering, Otis said the Long Range planning Committee will have more time to focus on how to market the village, both as a place to live and as a tourist destination.

Part of the focus will be to attract new residents as well as people who were displaced by the floods and had to find housing elsewhere. "We are shooting for replacing the housing lost and enticing those people back," she said.

One of the things the planning committee hopes to incorporate in the new development is some type of district heat. District heat, Otis, said, is a term for distributing heat or electricity, and in some cases cooling, to a whole area or neighborhood. Two possibilities for that, she said, would be geothermal or biomass, which would involve incinerating biofuels such as switch grass.

The committee has set a goal to be breaking ground this fall for one or more streets in the development. Once streets and utilities are in, building can begin.

While planning continues for the new site, Dale Klemme of Community Development Alternatives said about a dozen of the flood-damaged houses purchased by the government have now been demolished. Since April, purchase offers have been made to nine additional homeowners, and he believes those offers will be accepted.

Of the houses being elevated, Klemme said four were at or near completion and three or more had yet to be done, but he anticipated all would be completed before fall.