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June 21, 2006 |
Bob McCarthy is skydiving at age 80
Bob McCarthy will be celebrating his birthday like most people would - in the company of family and friends. Except Bob will be celebrating 10,000 feet in the air as he and his two children go skydiving. Bob, who is celebrating his 80th birthday Thursday, will be making his second skydiving jump. He also jumped once two years ago.
Bob had his parachute automatically open when he jumped the first time around, but this time he would like to experience the free-falling part of the dive a bit more.
"I really enjoyed jumping the first time" Bob said. "I hope my children are excited and enjoy this as much as I do."
Joining Bob on the jump will be his son, Leary, who is 52, and his daughter, Mary Ann (Drescher), who will be celebrating her 50th birthday.
"He is just incredible" Leary said of his father. "He sets a great example for my sister and I to follow and he always gets us to try new things."
Bob is an Eastman native and his two children grew up and graduated from Prairie du Chien High School. Leary now lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., while Mary Ann is in Madison. However, they are both coming home for their dad's big day.
"Hopefully the weather is good" Leary said.
The family will be making the jump Saturday afternoon in Lancaster, Wis.
"I'm excited" Bob said. "I find lots of things exciting and this is just another thing I enjoy doing."
Mary Ann said that her father has always been open to new experiences.
"Last year he got on a motorcycle for the first time" Mary Ann said. "He has such a wonderfully inquisitive nature and has served as a model on how to grow old."
Mary Ann said that her son may also make the jump, which would put three generations in the sky.
"We are going to have a great time" she said.
Moses named new PdC Area Chamber Director
A new Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce Director has been selected to replace the departing Sharon Dearborn.
Bird Skemp, a member of the Chamber's Board of Directors and the selection committee for the new director, said that Robert Moses of McGregor will begin his new duties on July 24.
"Robert was selected as a qualified candidate and we're excited about what he can bring to the table" said Skemp. "And, we hope the community is too."
Skemp noted that Moses has been the director of the McGregor-Marquette Chamber of Commerce since 2002. In addition, Moses has already been working with a number of Prairie du Chien Chamber members who are also members of the McGregor-Marquette Chamber.
Moses was selected for the position from a pool of more than 20 applicants, said Skemp.
Satter Building property to be listed with realtor
Crawford County has been unable to sell the Satter Building property and so the County Board voted unanimously at its regular meeting Tuesday morning to list the property with a realtor at a price of $700,000.
The county had previously been asking $1.2 million for the Satter Building and grounds and ads were placed in several newspapers including newspapers in Chicago, the Twin Cities, Milwaukee and other cities.
County Board Supervisor John Karnopp said that it has been difficult to even get anyone to appraise the property. He said that an appraiser has told him and other members of the Public Property Committee that the building is "worth zero" and will probably have to be torn down. The real estate and not the building is the significant part as far as selling the property is concerned, said board member Adam Fogelson.
"We need to try to get this moved before winter so we don't have to heat it again" said Karnopp. The Satter Building has been sitting vacant since August of 2005 when county offices were moved into the new County Administrative Building.
Prairie du Chien Mayor Cheryl Mader told board members that there is a developer with a possible interest to renovate the Satter Building and that it may not have to be torn down. Mader said that she and the city of Prairie du Chien view the building as having historical significance.
The Public Property Committee will decide upon a realtor to multi-list the Satter Building property.
In other business, the board heard a presentation by Human Services Director Sara Ryan and FINAX Supervisor Barb Hernesman about the status of the Job Center. Hernesman and Ryan said that the Job Center has been very busy and that services will have to be cut back because of the impending retirement of Employment and Training Specialist Dewey Christoph of Workforce Connections.
"This position is critical. In fact it's mandatory if the Job Center concept is to continue in Crawford County" said Hernesman, who noted that the county may not get someone to replace Christoph due to a $1.5 million statewide reduction in federal Bureau of Job Service funding.
"If we get someone, it may take awhile" said Hernesman. "This is very important to our county."
"This is a very serious problem" said County Board Chairman Ron Leys.
Hernesman noted that two staff members of Workforce Connections quit but will be replaced. She also pointed out just how busy the Job Center has been. In the year 2005, more than 4,000 people walked through the doors of the Job Center. Two thousand people accessed Job.Net on the computers and Job Center personnel helped 171 people write their resumes. Also, 388 work permits were issued to county youth and 1,136 job applications were processed for employers. The 2005 Job Fair held at the National Guard Armory featured 29 employers and 285 job seekers.
In further business, the board:
´Approved of June 27 at 9 a.m. for National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command training for all County Board members. Emergency Government Director Roger Martin said that the NIMS 700 training and Incident Command 100 training is mandatory if the county is to continue to be eligible for federal grants for emergency management.
´Was informed that Traffic Deputy Jerold Matousek has been selected by the Public Safety Committee to fill the new Chief Deputy position in the Crawford County Sheriff's Department.
´Approved of a public hearing to be scheduled for the proposed livestock siting ordinance. The ordinance, if adopted, will allow the county to regulate new or expanding farms of 500 to 999 animal units. An animal unit is defined as 1,000 pounds of any animal. There are no farms this big in Crawford County but many county officials would like to adopt the ordinance in case a current operation expands or a new large farm starts up.
Parking, tour boats, but no cheese for the Marquette City Council
The Marquette City Council had a full slate for their Tuesday night meeting which included a zoning ordinance change, an address from a tour boat operator and updates on the Timber Ridge subdivision project, among other items.Several people addressed the council during a public hearing over a change in the C2 zoning ordinance affecting the downtown. The council amended the ordinance to allow manufacturing operations in the downtown, as long as the manufacturing was based upon natural materials, such as leather, wood, wine and cheese, etc. The ordinance also stipulates that each dwelling unit must provide one off-street parking space.
Larry Breuer and Sue Szablewski expressed problems with the proposed changes in the ordinance, primarily with parking, saying that requiring one off-street space for each unit would limit the growth of bed and breakfasts. Breuer also protested the approval of cheesemaking as a downtown business, saying that it created wastewater treatment problems and was unappealing. Mayor John Ries noted the cheesemaking "does have an odor to it" and the council agreed to pull it from the list of approved businesses.
Szablewski agreed there was a parking problem downtown, but said that requiring one new space for each dwelling was not a solution. "You're trying to regulate a solution" she said.
Councilman Tracy Melver explained that the problem was tenants parking on North Street, leaving little parking for downtown businesses, and that the zoning amendment was intended to ease that problem. The council approved the zoning change unanimously.
New city manager Mike Poksitch still does not have a designated office space, and this was an issue for Tracy Melver. He asked the council to move forward to get Poksitch a cell phone, a separate phone line and e-mail. Poksitch has been sharing general office space and using the mayor's office when needed. "In order to do the job we hired him to do, he needs these things" Melver said. The council agreed and said they would take the necessary steps to create an office space.
Robert Vavra, a tour boat operator from Harpers Ferry addressed the council about running his boat from a city landing, especially during Flea Market weekends. He told the council he could provide insurance and would not dock overnight. The council agreed to set up a simple lease agreement with him, and parking guidelines for larger groups.
Timber Ridge (formerly Pleasant Ridge) subdivision development was another important agenda item. Tracy Melver urged the council to move as quickly as possible on all business surrounding the development so that housing construction could proceed, and said that the committee guiding the subdivision work should meet regularly to address problems and concerns. Road grading is complete at Timber Ridge, plans for the reservoir are done and test pumping of the well began this week, according to an update by IIW engineer Jim Bousley.
In other council business:
´ Council agreed to sealcoating of city streets and repairs to park shelter restrooms
´ Paid IIW Engineering for grading plans, water and sewer mains, and a curb and gutter plan, all for Timber Ridge, for a total of $8,789
´Passed contract payment to MarMac Police and McGregor Hook & Ladder Fire Department
June 19, 2006 |
Bob Eggen knows a lot about Pleasant Grove Cemetery. He has worked there as sexton for about 15 years. But there are still a few mysteries at Pleasant Grove, things which neither Bob nor anyone else knows about the cemetery.
Like many historic cemeteries, there are unmarked sites at Pleasant Grove (organized in 1860), which may be graves. According to Eggen, the original plat of the cemetery was lost to fire or flood in 1915. There are gaps in the rows of headstones that march across the grounds, and the board of directors for the cemetery wondered if those areas could possibly be vacant. But there was no way to reliably investigate the possibility in a sensitive and respectful manner.
Then in 2004, Bob heard about researchers from the office of the State Archeologist of Iowa that were working at Effigy Mounds. They were using a device called ground penetrating radar to investigate the contents of the historic Native American mounds. Bob thought immediately of Pleasant Grove.
"I knew that if technology could send people into outer space and find shipwrecks at the bottom of the ocean, there must be something that could help us find unmarked graves in the cemetery," Bob said.
So Bob called the state archeology office and inquired about using it at Pleasant Grove.
Bill Whittaker is a project archeologist for the State of Iowa, one of only two on staff trained to use the device. He learned about it as a graduate student working under Glenn Storey, a professor of archaeology at the University of Iowa. Storey had used it while researching ancient Roman sites in Sicily. The University of Iowa acquired one of the devices in 2003. Since then, there has been a lot interest in the technology from cemeteries. Whittaker did his first cemetery survey in 2003. "Radar has become a growing part of my duties," he noted.
Whittaker was working at Pleasant Grove last Thursday and Friday. Bob was there to help, showing him which areas of the cemetery were to be surveyed. Lowell Siegele, another member of the cemetery board, was also assisting. Using long tape measures, the men marked out rectangular grids on the ground. Then Whittaker would walk the grid and make notes about where there were depressions in the ground, nearby trees or headstones, to give a more detailed context to the radar images during later analysis. Then he would walk the length of the grid, pulling the radar device behind him.
Ground penetrating radar works by sending radio waves into the soil. When the waves strike an object, such as a vault or coffin, they are reflected back. The radar can also determine how deeply an object is buried. For older burials where not much remains of a wooden coffin, the radar can recognize disturbances in the soil typical of burial.
A small, hand-held computer and monitor is connected to the device when in use. The data from that computer is downloaded onto computers at the University of Iowa that analyze the information from the radar, and build a three-dimensional image based on the data.
While the technology is sophisticated, it is not 100 percent accurate. According to Whittaker, heavy clay soils, or soils that are saturated with rainwater do not give up much information. Whittaker felt that the soils at Pleasant Grove would work pretty well.
Ground penetrating radar analysis is not cheap. Pleasant Grove is paying $2,800 for the service, which includes the on-site survey and complete analysis of the data with three-dimensional images. The areas that were radar surveyed at Pleasant Grove are prime locations in the well-manicured, peaceful cemetery „ locations that Pleasant Grove can legally re-take and sell, if unoccupied. The cemetery must advertise their intention to take back the plots for one year. If nobody claims them, then the cemetery can sell them.
PdC area to get new shopping center
A new shopping center is slated to be built in the Prairie du Chien area and will offer a variety of new retail stores. Doug Bercu, a developer in Marietta, Ga., and his Timber Development Corp. partner, Mike Timmons, have purchased six acres next to the Wal-Mart Supercenter in the town of Bridgeport.
Bercu has said that the retail strip shopping center is probably going to be about 25,000 square feet. Tenants planned thus far include Dollar Tree, a Shoe Department shoe store, Cottonwood Financial, a Chinese restaurant and a national chain women's clothing store that Bercu and Timmons are not at liberty to name yet. There will probably be four or five other spaces at the shopping center for other retailers.
Bridgeport Town Chairman John Karnopp is one person who is in favor of the new shopping center.
"I think it will be good for the whole county," said Karnopp Friday afternoon. "It'll be good for the tax base of the whole community."
Karnopp also pointed out that the shopping center will create more jobs in Crawford County. Karnopp said that he has heard varying reports as to when construction will begin. "We would like to see it up and running as soon as possible and I think they [the developers] do too," he added.
Bercu has stated that construction will probably begin in about four weeks and that it is hoped that the shopping center will be open by the spring of next year. The project is expected to cost approximately $3.2 million, including the land purchase and construction.
"Everybody wants to be near a Wal-Mart," said Karnopp about the shopping center's location. "That's where the traffic is at."
Prairie du Chien City Administrator Gordon Gallagher said that the shopping center will be good for the economic development of the city and the county.
"A rising tide raises all ships," said Gallagher, who noted that he expects business and private investment to continue to grow along Marquette Road and on Blackhawk Avenue. "I feel that the Prairie du Chien area is good for private investment and people are recognizing that this is a good place to do business. Our hope is that it continues to help other areas of the county as well."
The pig is coming back to Prairie du Chien. Dick's Supermarket will be changing its name to Dick's Piggly Wiggly June 21.
The Commerce Court Mall was home to a Piggly Wiggly from 1962 to 1992 before Roy L. George sold the store.
Dick's store director, Tom Stram, said that Dick's was bought out by Piggly Wiggly four or five years ago and that changing the store's name only makes sense.
"It's a cost saving thing," Stram said. "This will give us buying power and allow us further advertisement."
While the outside of the store will have a new look, Dick's customers have no need to worry, as the inside will stay the same.
"There will be no change on the inside of the store," Stram said. "Except for the fact that the employees will be wearing new uniforms."
Stram said that the store will be redoing its pricing structure, which will create new, lower prices.
"This is a positive thing," Stram said. "It's just another step for us."
All of the Dick's Supermarkets in the area are changing their name, including stores in Platteville, Lancaster and Boscobel.
There are over 600 Piggly Wiggly stores in 16 different states, according to the Piggly Wiggly Web site.
Vane Scott's program, "The Many Faces of Old Glory," has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people over a thirty year period. This entertaining flag show will be appearing Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m., on the Fort Crawford Museum grounds. It is part of the annual summer series presented by the Prairie du Chien Historical Society called "Bits and Pieces."
An alternate site will be the Prairie du Chien High School Gymnasium in case of inclement weather.
"This is a program you won't want to miss," said museum spokesperson Fred Huebsch. "It will be exciting, thrilling, and in some parts humorous. But above all, patriotism abounds, and it will make you proud to be an American. We need some of that right now."
Vane Scott traces the history of the United States flag, and with it traces the history of the United States. He uses over 30 authentic historic flags during his presentation. He has appeared throughout the United States before crowds as large as 20,000 people.
Mr.. Scott frequently has a full 70-piece orchestra as musical accompaniment. For this performance, there will be a 30-piece brass band. The music will be provided by combination of the Grant County Brass Band and Larry Busch's big band. A special arrangement of the musical score was written by Eric Benjamin, conductor of the Tuscarwac Philharmonic Orchestra of Ohio, converting the music from a 70-instrument symphonic orchestra to a 30-piece brass band just for this event.
Jade Halvorsen, a local vocalist, will begin the program with a medley of patriotic songs. Jade sings for University of Iowa Men's Athletic events including Big Ten basketball games. Recently she sang for a fundraiser for the Prairie du Chien Jazz Chorus, and she frequently sings for local baseball tournaments. Janet Finn, chairperson of the Prairie du Chien Historical Society's educational committee, will act as emcee.
There will be some seating available on the museum grounds. Also, since it is an outdoor event, there will be tents available to provide shade. "However, we are hoping for a large crowd, and it might be advisable to bring a blanket or lawn chairs and perhaps sunglasses," according to Huebsch. Assisted parking will be available on South Main Street. Admission is $5 per person, children under 12 $2, to help offset expenses.
Culvers will be on-site to offer cold drinks and ice cream treats. The Prairie du Chien Methodist Global Concerns Committee will be serving hot dogs and brats with the proceeds going to Katrina disaster relief.
AnchorBank is sponsoring Vane Scott and the Grant County Brass Band. Other sponsors are Alliant Energy, AmericInn and the Courier Press.
"I am really enthused about Vane Scott's program. It is by far the most ambitions program I have been involved with, even taking into consideration for Grand Excursion Program of 2004. It would be great to have a huge overflowing crowd. I know people will not be disappointed," says Huebsch.
