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ask county to do something about excessive junk on private property
Crawford County Board members debated at length during Tuesday's regular
meeting about what, if anything, the county should do about people who
have "excessive junk" on their properties. Town of Scott resident
Marilyn Leys gave a presentation to the board during which she showed
several photographs that showed junk cars, appliances, lawn mowers, cut
up mobile homes and other "junk" piled up on private properties that can
clearly be seen from various roadways. Leys said that excessive junk
causes economic harm and environmental harm. She cited the case of one
couple who could not sell their property because prospective buyers didn't
want to live next door to unsightly junk piles. Leys also cited a
property that had junk cars parked "right next to a stream," as an
environmental hazard. Leys further noted that junked up properties in
the northern part of the county, some along Highway 171, hurts tourism
to the apple orchards of that area. Leys asked for the County Board to
draw up an ordinance that would help eliminate excessive junk on private
properties. "Why are we letting this happen?" she asked. Board member
Larry Kapinus said that junk cars next to a stream falls under the
jurisdiction of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Kapinus
also noted that "excessive junk" ordinances should be up to each
township, not the county. Board members debated the issue for several
minutes. Highway Commissioner Dennis Pelock said that state law requires
that junk can not be placed any closer than 1,000 feet from a state
roadway, which might help concerning the Highway 171 situation. Board
member Gerald Krachey said that the county could adopt an ordinance
similar to the state law. The ordinance could be enforced along county
roadways, Krachey said. After further debate, a man in the audience,
John LeBryk, stood up and told the board that he is the man who is
having trouble selling his property. LeBryk said that he is not a
resident of the town of Scott but that his property is right next to
some property that has a large amount of junk on it that is in the town
of Scott. "I drive by some billboards that say "Please don't litter
while driving through our state,'" said LeBryk. "Well I just want to
laugh because out-of-state drivers don't need to litter, Wisconsinites
are doing a good enough job on their own." Two other residents were in
attendance in support of LeBryk. After some more talk, it was decided
that the issue will go to the Rules and Procedures Committee, who will
meet with all of the county's townships to gain input. The issue may be
revisited at a future county board meeting. In other business, the board
voted 13-1 to table a discussion about amending a county ordinance
governing emergency expenditures by county departments. Board member
Fogelson cast the lone dissenting vote. According to the proposed
amendment, emergency purchases of less than $500 may be made without
prior board approval, except for the Highway Department, where there is
a limit of $25,000 for each piece of equipment; and except for the
Sheriff's Department, where there is a limit of $10,000 for each piece
of equipment. These purchases must come before the full County Board,
the proposed amendment states. The current ordinance is the same as the
proposed amendment, except that the Highway Department has a limit of
$35,000 before full board approval is needed in order to make an
emergency purchase. "You can't hardly buy a pickup truck for $25,000,"
said Pelock, who noted that it would be much more convenient and
practical to have emergency purchases go through the Finance Committee,
which meets twice a month, rather than the County Board, which meets
every two months. Sheriff Robert Ostrander agreed, saying that when an
emergency equipment purchase is needed, it is needed right away. Waiting
two months for the County Board to give its approval would be
impractical, Ostrander said. Board member John Karnopp said, "These
figures in the ordinance are 50 years out of date. Computers cost more
than $500. These figures should all be raised. You can't wait two months
for the County Board to meet. When you need equipment, you need it now."
The proposed ordinance amendment will come up for discussion again at
the August County Board meeting.
During her presentation before the board, Grace Sierer, the executive
director of Community Action, touched upon some of the highlights of the
CouleeCap 2003 Annual Report.
In addition to the report, Sierer told board members that CouleeCap will
continue to serve the residents of Crawford County to the utmost of
their ability and that they are "shocked" by the recent drug arrests
that took place at the CouleeCap office in Prairie du Chien. Sierer said
that CouleeCap had no knowledge of, nor do they condone any of the
alleged illegal activities.
PdC Board also raises some school fees
School Board hears about importance of librarians
The role of librarians became the hot topic of discussion at the Prairie
du Chien School Board meeting Monday night. Bluff View Librarian Nancy
Trautsch gave a presentation to the board outlining the importance of
professional librarians to a school district and to the learning of
students. Trautsch cited the conclusions of several studies, which all
spoke of the high importance of librarians. Trautsch's presentation and
the ensuing discussion, eluded to a possible future resignation of a
librarian within the Prairie du Chien District and whether or not that
librarian would be replaced. Several teachers spoke on behalf of
Trautsch following her presentation. "Nancy has been vital in finding
information on a wide variety of topics," Randi Kluesner said in part of
her statement. "It would be a big hardship to have her gone." Kluesner
went on to say that Trautsch has been a big help in numerous ways that
have allowed Kluesner and others to be more effective teachers. Kluesner
also read a statement by Bluff View teacher Jane Yeomans-Petrowitz, who
could not attend the meeting, in which Yeomans-Petrowitz also praised
Trautsch. Several other teachers also spoke, including former English
teacher Mary Ann Stemper, who said in part, "When you take librarians
and counselors out of the school, you leave every child behind. When you
take away librarians and counselors, you're cutting into the heart of
the program." Superintendent Jim O'Meara told the teachers that there
has been no letter of resignation submitted by any librarian. O'Meara
then told Trautsch that if there are changes in the librarian staff in
the future, that Trautsch would have input as to how the district would
proceed. Board members listened to the teacher's statements and then
discussed the issue. Board members Joe Atkins and Brian Edwards said
that in light of budgetary concerns, that they need to consider the
economic impact of every possible action. Edwards and Atkins agreed,
however, that librarians are essential to a good school system. Edwards
said that if the district were to consider future personnel cuts, the
priority of how essential each position was to the school district would
have to be weighed. In other business, the board gave unanimous approval
to raise various school fees. The registration fee for the high school
will go from $45 to $50. The registration fee for Bluff View will go
from $35 to $40. Band rental fees will go from $20 per school year to
$20 per semester. The driver's education fee will go from $325 to $425.
It was stated that the state no longer reimburses $100 of the driver's
ed. fee to the district. Also, the board voted to drop the driver's ed.
fee from the waiver process. This means that the driver's ed. fee cannot
be waived. If fees are not paid on or before Sept. 15, they will
increase by $5. In further action, the board: €Voted unanimously for
the district to apply to the State Trust Fund Loan at a rate of 3
percent for the purchase of a multipurpose riding tractor-mower-snow
blower for $21,800. €Voted unanimously to approve the hiring of Kathy
Newmeier as a 65 percent German teacher for the 2004-2005 school year,
after which time the German program will be discontinued. €Voted to
approve the hiring of Thomas Cowley as a high school math teacher and as
the varsity girl's basketball coach. €Adopted the 2004-2005 school
calendar, which will run from Sept. 1 to June 8. High School graduation
will be held on June 4 at 2 p.m. High School Athletic Director Joe
Zydowsky gave the board an update on the status of the renovations of
the high school baseball field. All of the renovations have been done
and will be done through donations.
Zydowsky's report shows that a new backstop and sideline fence was
completed in the fall of 2003. Money has also been raised for several
projects slated for the summer of 2004, including spraying, leveling and
seeding the outfield, preparing the water source for irrigation,
purchasing the irrigation system and sodding the infield. Future
projects may include purchasing new bleachers, purchasing a new score
board and installing two concrete in-ground dugouts.
Community youth get new recreational opportunity at skatepark
The skatepark is open from 12-4 p.m. every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the
month. Bryan Yanna takes advantage of the "Cornerstone Skateboard Bash"
Saturday morning. A two-year-old vision of Pastor Brad Keller and others
at Cornerstone Church finally became a reality last Saturday when the
skatepark in the church's parking lot debuted to the public. Thanks to a
donation of over $7,900 by the Children's Advisory Board and equipment
donations by the Salvation Army, the park will be opened the second and
fourth Saturday of every month from 12-4 p.m. The goal of the project is
for "a morally good environment and to keep kids out of trouble," said
skatepark director John Beyer. "It's for the community as a whole." The
park hopes to provide a place where kids can interact and have fun, plus
alleviate complaints about skateboarders crowding sidewalks and causing
problems in town. The park is also open to rollerbladers and bikers.
Parents should have no concerns about safety. There will be as many as
10 volunteers on hand per day to both supervise, befriend and interact
with the kids. The Salvation Army donated helmets, which are mandatory,
and other padding. There will also be medical kits on hand. The church's
insurance will cover the park, and parents of children under 18 will be
asked to sign a release form. "We're really excited about it," Beyer
said. "We would like to thank the Children's Advisory Board and the
Salvation Army for their generous donations." Beyer is a part of U-Turn,
a Cornerstone junior and senior high youth group that meets every Sunday
night for contemporary bible studies as well as games and other
activities. Some of the members will be helping out at the park. Other
people are encouraged to get involved with the project, whether it be
financially or by volunteering.
As for the future of the park, Beyer said that they will just have to
take a wait-and-see approach. Depending on how much interest there is,
the number of ramps and times the park is opened could increase.
Mississippi to exceed flood stage, Rendezvous still on
The Rendezvous is on, according to members of the Big River Long Rifles and
the Prairie du Chien Jaycees. "We are going ahead with it until the city asks
us to evacuate," says Carla Witzig of the Big River Long Rifles. The river will
go above flood stage on Monday afternoon, and is expected to crest Friday to
Sunday - at the height of the Rendezvous. The crest is expected at be about 17.6
feet. Flood stage is 16 feet. This is about the highest the river has been in
the 29 history of the Rendezvous. Ellen Schieber of the Jaycees said changes
will be made to their usual set up to avoid low lying areas and the fact that
there likely will only be one street on and off the island instead of two, as
Washington Street starts to have water over it at 16 feet. Schieber said changes
to the flea market area will also likely be made due to the low lying areas and
the number of vendors who need electricity. Schieber, a safety engineer by
trade, said they will be keeping a close eye on all cords and it is possible
that only food stands may will be allowed to have electricity. "Pray for
sunshine," said Witzig. Visitors to the Annual Prairie du Chien Rendezvous
Thursday through Sunday, June 17 - 20 can experience the culture that founded
and dominated the Prairie du Chien area in the early 1800's. The Rendezvous
attracts hundreds of participants and thousands of visitors every year - more
than 245 campers are preregistered this year. On Thursday, Friday, Saturday and
Sunday there will be on-going demonstrations such as blacksmithing, pottery,
weaving, fiddle playing, 1700s medical practices, flint knapping, longbow
making, storytelling and trading. Other activities for registered participants
are planned, and spectators are welcome. They include: Friday at 5 p.m -
women's and children's knife and hawk contest; at 6 p.m. - primitive cooking
contest Saturday ‹ at 9 a.m. - black powder competition; at 1:30 p.m. - knife
and hawk competition; at 4 p.m. - primitive bow shoot; and at 5 p.m. - pie
auction Sunday ‹ at 10 a.m. - children's games This year will also feature
Native American Hoop Dancer Brian Hammill and Indian Dancers Reuben and Ash Fast
Horse. The Rendezvous opens to the public at 9 a.m. each day, and is open until
9 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Sunday the Rendezvous ends at 4 p.m.
The second annual Pie's - A- Plenty Pie Auction will be held again this year at
the Rendezvous on St. Feriole Island Saturday at 5 p.m. The stand is just south
of the JC's food stand. Last year was the first this fund raiser was held and
55 pies were donated by area cooks which raised $1,100. If you would like to
donate to this worthwhile event, call the Fort Crawford Museum at 326-6960 and
talk to Joan.
Dynamite destruction complete in Prairie du Chien
More than 75 people played a role in the destruction of more than 800 pounds
of aging and deteriorating dynamite that was removed June 8 from a storage shed
in the Prairie du Chien area. There were approximately 410 sticks of dynamite,
and although the shed contained various blasting equipments, there were no
blasting caps there. Removal of the explosives began at approximately 8:45 a.m.
on June 8. Approximately seven homes and 35 businesses in a 1,250-foot radius in
Prairie du Chien and the Town of Bridgeport were required to evacuate for the
operation, which began at 7:30 a.m. Impacted persons were told they might be out
of their buildings for as long as three days, yet the operation was complete in
less than 24 hours. Sgt. Matt Strub of the Wisconsin State Patrol said "The
entire process from evacuation to reentry went very smooth. We can't stress
enough how much we appreciate the cooperation of the people who were impacted by
this situation." Strub said assistance from the Dane County Bomb Squad and the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) helped speed the operation, which
was headed by UXB International Inc. UXB is a worldwide hazard mitigation firm
that has been in business for longer than 20 years. US 18, which serves more
than 18,000 vehicles a day in that area, was closed during the removal.
Thankfully, the main detour route which used County N to connect Highway 27 to
Highway 60, did not have any accident reported during the removal time. "We
checked it several times and it was slow going," said Strub. "But thankfully
there were no reported accidents." The dynamite was taken to a site about three
miles away off of Old Highway 18 (near the old landfill) where straw and diesel
fuel were placed on it and it was burned without major incident on Wednesday
afternoon. The shed that housed the dynamite was burned the morning of June 10;
crews involved in the removal left Prairie du Chien around noon the same day.
The dynamite was discovered last fall on property that is owned by the Wisconsin
Department of Transportation (WisDOT). WisDOT purchased the land for the
reconstruction of US 18. Although the shed with it s nitroglycerin soaked floor
was destroyed, its location was carefully documented with stakes and GPS
readings. The removal process was videotaped as well. The ATF, the Wisconsin
Department of Commerce and other agencies continue to investigate who is
responsible for the entire incident. "We expect all that to take several months," said
Strub. "That information will be made available to those
affected when it is available." Harley Heaton, a representative from UXB said
that if at any point all of the dynamite would have gone off for some reason
before the construction of the berms (such as someone shooting at the shed with
a gun) would have resulted in all buildings within 600 feet being destroyed or
heavily damaged. "The chances of that were unlikely," said Heaton. "But if it
would have went off, it all could have went."
Businesses sustain losses due to dynamite
The removal of dynamite on Tuesday,
June 8 from a site across from People's State Bank near Dick's Supermarket
took only one day instead of a possible three, but it nevertheless caused
hardships for some businesses in the evacuation zone. "It helped us that they
got done sooner," said Gerald Krachey, owner of Krachey's BP South on Highway
18 South. "But, we still lost one day's business." Krachey said that he is
going to seek compensation for the lost business by filing a lawsuit against the
Department of Transportation. Krachey estimated that the truck stop lost $4,000.
Krachey said that he paid his employees, who were on standby, but because of
poor communication on the part of the DOT, there were some problems with
reopening. "I didn't like the way they opened it up," Krachey said. "They didn't communicate very
well." Krachey explained that he wasn't informed
until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday that Highway 18 was going to be reopened at 8 p.m. "They could have called at 5 p.m. when they were
done," said Krachey. "The
highway was open before I was." Krachey said that he was able to contact enough
employees to open Tuesday night, though there easily could have been some
difficulties because everyone thought that the removal process would take at
least two days. Krachey said that upon reopening, he did have some problems
restarting equipment and that the equipment was not working properly at first.
He said he could have been up and running sooner had he known sooner. "They did
a poor job (of communicating) when they started and a poor job when they ended," he said. Krachey did say, however, that the situation could have been a
lot worse had the removal taken the three full days. Tom Stram, the manager at
Dick's Supermarket, said that Dick's was open on Wednesday morning but that
there were bare shelves in some areas. "People were willing to come back,"
Stram said. "Our customers were very understanding and glad to see us up and
going again." Stram said that Dick's wasn't up to full speed until 10 a.m.
June 10. "It was a good thing that it (the dynamite removal) only took one day," said
Stram. "It was good to get things back to normal around here quicker." Stram said that he is still in the process of trying to assess
monetary losses due to being shut down for the dynamite removal. He said that
Dick's will just try to move forward but that the "corporate people" are
still visiting the issue of whether to take any action in order to receive
compensation for losses. Stram said that in addition to the dynamite removal
itself, the fact that one of the entrances to Dick's Supermarket was closed for
about 10 weeks also posed a hardship. The entrance-exit off of LaPointe Street
allowed access to the People's State Bank branch but not to Riverside Square. "The entrance being closed definitely
hurts," he said. "It makes it hard for
people to get out." Stram explained that one entrance into Riverside Square
allows cars to drive in but not out again. In order to get out, people needed to
find an alternate route behind some of the other businesses at Riverside Square.
Stram said that the closed entrance-exit definitely hurt business because many
people didn't like the inconvenience. However, Stram said that the situation
could have been worse. "We've had a lot of loyal customers making an extra
effort and we appreciate that," he said. In fact, due to the dynamite removal,
Stram said that Dick's had "bigger than normal" business on Sunday, June 6
and Monday, June 7 when people were apparently stocking up for the anticipated
three-day closure. "We were quite busy the day before," he said. Diane Skemp,
the manager of Huckleberry's Restaurant, said that the dynamite removal cost
Huckleberry's two days of business even though the removal itself took only one
day. Skemp explained that many of Huckleberry's employees were out of town
because the removal was anticipated to take at least two days. Also, the
restaurant couldn't open Wednesday morning because fresh food couldn't be
ordered in time. "We were under the impression that it would take at least two
days," Skemp said. "We were completely unprepared and incapable of opening
Wednesday." Businesses in the evacuation zone were informed Tuesday night at
about 7:30 that they would be allowed to reopen. Skemp said that the DOT could
have been more accurate in their assessment of when they could have been done
with the dynamite removal. "They (DOT) could have said by noon or 1 p.m. on
Tuesday that they were way ahead of schedule," Skemp said. Skemp also said that
Huckleberry's lost business prior to the dynamite removal because people had
been misinformed as to the closure of Highway 18. "Our business almost declined
to nothing in the week before," she said. "People thought that the highway was
already closed. How many people changed their plans and didn't come?" Although
Huckleberry's sustained losses of revenue due to the dynamite removal, Skemp
said that the employees, who lost two day's wages, may have been hit harder. "Weekdays for the restaurant are not a big
deal," Skemp said in noting that Huckleberry's does by far its biggest business on the weekend. She also said,
however, "It hurt. No matter what you did, it hurt." Skemp said that she didn't really think about the possibility of the dynamite blowing during the 10
weeks leading up to the removal day. She did think about a possible explosion on
Monday, however, when she was very busy copying and removing the restaurant's
vital records and other important items. Now, however, Skemp said that she is
glad that the removal is over with. "It's done, let's get open and on with it
and I'm thankful that it didn't blow up," she said. While saying that their
time assessment could have been better, Skemp also praised the DOT and other
agencies involved in the dynamite removal. "They were very professional in
their handling," she said. "The people that released our building were very
apologetic for any hardships."
Flood damage to public roadways exceeds $750,000
Crawford County Emergency Government Coordinator Roger Martin estimates that
heavy rainfalls which have occurred since May 21 have cost the county an
estimated $750,000 in damages to roadways. Martin said last week that the damage
to state highways, county highways and township roads will require about
three-quarters of a million dollars for debris clean up, materials, equipment
and manpower. In addition to mud and rock slides, there have been shoulder "cave-offs" and bridge approaches washed away. Last week Governor Jim Doyle
asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct a preliminary
damage assessment in cooperation with Wisconsin Emergency Management and local
officials as a first step to determine if Wisconsin will request federal
disaster relief for communities hit hard from recent flooding and severe storms.
Doyle requested federal damage assessments be conducted at Columbia, Crawford,
Fond du Lac, Grant, Kenosha, Jefferson, Ozaukee, and Vernon Counties. The damage
assessment will allow the state to determine exactly what damage would be
eligible under a federal disaster declaration. FEMA officials were in Crawford
County last Thursday, meeting with Martin and other county and township
officials to do the preliminary damage assessment. In the areas where clean up
is already complete, photos of the damage were presented to FEMA officials, said
Martin. "This assessment could make public assistance possible, but this is not
for private property owners," said Martin. "This is just the first step in the
process. They need to verify the damage before the request for federal aid can
be made." Last Tuesday, June 8, heavy rains on saturated ground again caused
flash flooding and rock and mud slides. Highway 35 was closed for a time between
Ferryville and Highway 82, and Counties C and B were again affected. Clean up
continues Beginning Monday, June 14, motorists may encounter delays while
traveling on Wis 35 between Ferryville and Prairie du Chien. Traffic will be
restricted to a single lane in both directions and controlled by flagging crews
said Pete Strachan from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).
Closures will occur during daytime hours for a one to two week period, weather
permitting. The restriction is necessary to repair embankment washouts on WIS
35.
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