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Police staffing levels, clean water reports on agenda for City Council A relatively short and routine meeting of the Prairie du Chien Common Council last night considered a number of committee reports and regular, annual requests. The two most weighty items on the agenda, a municipal agreement between the city and the state Department of Transportation, and a final resolution authorizing sewer and water extensions and levying special assessments for them were tabled. Prairie du Chien Downtown Revitalization Inc. (PDRI) director Craig Moser opened the meeting by presenting the council with an recognition from the Wisconsin Main Street program for the city's newly formed Design and Preservation Commission and ordinance. Moser explained how Prairie du Chien was recognized with several awards at the annual Main Street banquet, the first the city has attended. He said the Walgreens project was cited as the reason for the award, as the corporation worked closely with the design committee to meet their requests. Mike Rider came before the council to request that an additional two blocks be closed off on St. Feriole Island for the Carriage Classic. The council granted the request as well as the request to use the beach for the July fireworks show put in by the Chamber of Commerce. The school resource officer position, once hotly contested by the council, was also discussed. The Protection and Health Committee's report on the position recommended that the resource officer be retained for the time being. "After lengthy discussion from both sides, we just felt it was too important to let go," explained Frank Pintz, a member of the committee. Chad Abram, the resource officer, stood before the council and answered questions and discussed his role. He said that the kids had really come around, after being rather apprehensive of him at first. "I really enjoy the position," Abram said. Several other spoke up in favor of the position as well, including high school principal Andy Banasik and city attorney Tom Peterson. Banasik responded to councilman Brad Steiner that the position is not yet grant funded, as was proposed to the council originally. Police Chief Mike King said that his department continued to seek grant dollars to fund the position. He asserted that the position was not costing the city extra money for overtime, which was a concern for Steiner. The council also granted a request from the Prairie du Chien Historical Society to place a sign in the public right-of-way on Beaumont Rd. The sign is informational in nature, showing the location of Fort Crawford in relation to the current location of Beaumont Rd. The sign would be moved from the museum's property to the right-of-way to make it more visible to passersby on the sidewalk. The council granted the request. The report of the License and Insurance Committee on police staffing drew the most debate of the evening. The report recommended not fully staffing the second shift, where a vacancy was created by the departure of an officer early in the year. The committee is concerned about the costs of overtime pay to officers filling this shift, and limiting overtime to special events and emergencies, or to use part-time officers only. This is a somewhat contentious issue because the city is still negotiating with the police union, who have been without a contract since 2004. This action was a recommendation to the council, however, not a mandate for the police department. Mike King said that as far as he was concerned, he planned to fill the current staff vacancy for the second shift officer. He said that the staff officers were very busy filling in for the position, and that Chad Abram would fill it by the end of the week with the end of school. He said that the safety of the public was not compromised, however. Mayor Cheryl Mader noted that a facilitator may be brought in to examine the issue of staffing for the police department, and what exactly was needed to solve the problem. "Maybe we need to take a step back and look at this," she said. Terry Meyer and the city water and sewer staff were lauded by city administrator Gordon Gallegher and the council for the high marks the city received from the DNR during the inspection of the city's wastewater treatment plant. The only recommendation the from the DNR that the city has to act on is to get an emergency generator to run the primary wastewater treatment facilities in case of power failure. Meyer said he was looking into some preliminary cost estimates. The oddly-named report on the city's drinking water quality, the Consumer Confidence report, also gave the city high marks, ranking third in the state for good water taste. Accident near bridge injures two At 2:13 p.m. on Monday, June 5, Prairie du Chien Police were dispatched to an injury crash at the intersection of Wisconsin and Main Streets. Investigation revealed that a 2003 Toyota being operated by Margaret Walker, 55, of Overland Park, Kansas, failed to yield to a Main Street stop sign and drove into the path of a westbound 1990 Chevrolet Lumina being operated by Donna Hemmersbach, 41, of Farmersburg, Iowa. Both vehicles were extensively damaged and the jaws of life were used to extricate Walker from her vehicle. Both drivers were taken to the Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries by local EMS. Walker was cited for Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign. Meet the Country Showdown Finalists The stage is set for Prairie du Chien's Colgate Country Showdown. The competition will be held Saturday, June 10, in downtown Prairie du Chien on Blackhawk Ave at 7 p.m. The field has been narrowed to eight final contestants, who will each be performing a country song with a live back-up band. The winner of the showdown will advance to the state level. The event is being sponsored by Colgate and Prairie du Chien's local radio station, WQPC. THE FINALISTS Tim Bohnenkamp Tim, a 44-year old Bloomington native, now makes his home in De Soto, where he has lived for 15 years. Tim said that he competed in the Colgate Country Showdown because he knew it was going to be a fun thing to do. Tim auditioned with Toby Keith's "Beer for My Horses," and will be performing "Hillbilly Shoes," by Montgomery Gentry for the Colgate Showdown. Tim said he has been a musician most of his life and that he plays 11 instruments; his favorite is steel guitar. This will not be the first time Tim will make his way to the big stage, as Tim has already began to make a name for himself in country music. He has opened for 130 acts (including Brooks and Dunn and Vince Gill) with his electronic band, Tim and the Floppy Cowboys. Chelanie Adams Chellanie, a 24-year old Prairie du Chien native, recently made the move to Nashville, Tenn., to pursue a career in country music. "I have been having a lot of fun in Nashville, meeting songwriters and getting to sing," Chellanie said. She decided to come back home to get some additional exposure by competing in the Colgate Country Showdown. For her demo tape, Adams sang Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." She will perform Faith Hill's "It Matters to Me," for the showdown. Chellanie said she is a big fan of Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks and Faith Hill. Brittany Lee Brittany is by far the youngest finalist, as she is just 16-years old. Brittany, who lives in Boscobel, said that she has competed in several competitions before, but nothing like this. Brittany has been singing since she was six years old. For her demo tape, Brittany sang "Here for the Party," by Gretchen Wilson, and for the contest she will be singing "Redneck Woman," which is also by Wilson. Brittany said her favorite song is Faith Hill's "Hey Baby Let's Go to Vegas." "Being the youngest one kind of makes me stand out and my voice is different from everyone else's," Brittany said. Norb Swenson Swenson, 52, of Prairie du Chien, has been involved in several karaoke contests over the years and is known for his rendition of Frank Sinatra's hit, "New York, New York.". He sang Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," for his demo and will sing the same for the contest. Swenson said his favorite country artist is Conway Twitty. "I just want to wish everyone in the contest the best of luck," Swenson said. Julie Wachter Julie, a 41-year old Prairie du Chien native, was urged to try out for the showdown by a co-worker. "I finally thought, ïwhat the heck; it will be fun,'" Julie said. Julie sang "Strawberry Wine," by Deana Carter for her audition and will sing the same song Saturday evening. Her favorite country artists are Martina McBride and Faith Hill. Anna Kuck Kuck has been singing since she was in the high school choir. The 31-year old Wauzeka resident has sang for weddings and athletic events, but said she was afraid to sing karaoke until she was in her twenties. Kuck sang "I Fall to Pieces," by Patsy Cline for her demo tape and will sing "A Little Past Little Rock," by LeeAnn Womack for the showdown. Although it took some persuading from her husband to send in her demo tape, Kuck is now enjoying the whole showdown experience. "This has been a really neat experience," Kuck said. "People have been coming up to me saying they heard me on the radio or that they voted for me . . . this area is a small community, but it acts like a big family." Suzanne Shaw It should come as no surprise that Suzanne has musical talent. She grew up in the same hometown as this season's Kellie Pickler, from the hit television show, American Idol. The Albemarle, North Carolina native now calls Prairie du Chien home and said she was urged to enter the contest by people at her husband's workplace. Suzanne, who is 36-years old, performed "Fancy," by Reba McEntire, for her audition and will perfom "Something More," by Sugarland for the contest. Shane Hazen Shane, a 33-year old Prairie du Chien native, has always wanted to compete in a karaoke competition, so he had no hesitation when the idea of competing in the Colgate Showdown came up. Shane sang "Old Red," by Blake Shelton for his audition tape and will sing Craig Morgan's "Almost Home" for the contest. While he couldn't pick just one favorite country artist, he did say that George Strait is among the top of the list. "It has been really exciting to hear myself on the radio and to become known as that guy who sings on the radio," Shane said. "I have a lot of family coming for the contest so it should be a lot of fun."
State ChampionPrairie du Chien sophomore Deidre Dillman realized her goal Saturday afternoon as she won the WIAA Division 2 State Championship in the girls 800-meter run at Veteran's Memorial Stadium at UW-La Crosse. In capturing her first state title, Dillman bested her own Prairie du Chien High School record with a time of 2:14.51. Dillman took the lead from the start but had company most of the way around, running shoulder to shoulder with Ashley Beutler of Belleville-New Glarus. Down the home stretch, it was all Dillman, however, as she pulled away to win by about eight meters with a finished surge. "I was pretty confident," said Dillman. "I tried to get out quick and not get boxed in. I knew I had the kick at the end. I felt relaxed and everything came out just fine." Dillman came into the meet with the race's top-qualifying time as well as the state's best time for all divisions. "I just tried to run my hardest," said Dillman about winning the state championship. "It's a big accomplishment and I hope I can do it again." Dillman said that she may try the 400-meter run next year as well. "Deidre ran a very smart race. She did a great job over the first 200 meters to be sure she did not get boxed in," said Coach Cory Koenig. "Over the next 450 meters she ran a great pace and made the contenders run on her outside. No one was going to catch her, as she was too strong the last 150 meters. This is something Deidre worked very hard for. Deidre had a great supporting cast around her all year in practice, and that helped. We couldn't be happier for her." Along with her state championship, Dillman has a number of other personal highlights this season. Her time of 2:14.51 set a new school record, as she broke the one she set at this year's sectional meet. Other highlights include: the Lancaster Invitational, where she took first in the 1600-meter run; the Prairie Relays, where she won the 400-meter dash and the 1600-meter run; the Cuba City Invitational, where she took first in the 800 and the 1600; the River Valley Invitational, where she was named female athlete of the meet by taking first in the 400-meter dash and the 800-meter run; the Southwest Wisconsin Conference Meet, where she was first in the 400 and the 800. Last year, Dillman was fourth at the State Track Meet in the 1600-meter run. TWO OTHER area high school track athletes competed at the State Track Meet at UW-La Crosse. Katelyn Hoffman of Wauzeka-Steuben took eighth place in the finals of the Division 3 200-meter dash in a time of 26.53. Hoffman finished in 11th place in a time of 13.01 in a 100-meter dash heat and did not qualify for the finals. River Ridge's Jon Martin captured sixth place in the finals of the Division 3 400-meter dash in a time of 51.41. Martin also competed in the 200-meter dash but was disqualified in the preliminary heat. Saddle up for PdC's Downtown Hoedown, Country ShowdownPrairie du Chien will turn up the twang Saturday, June 10, with a day will filled with country style events. A wide variety of activities are scheduled as a part of the Prairie du Chien Downtown Revitalization, Inc.'s (PDRI) Hoedown and Colgate Country Showdown. Christine Seeley, chair of the promotions committee, of PDRI said that the day shall begin with the Crawford County Dairy Breakfast. Following that, the first ever Downtown Hoedown will take place, as the city has given permission to block off the west 200 block of Blackhawk Avenue, between Main and Prairie Street. The Hoedown is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. with many family activities planned. At Willy and Nellie's Place, Prairie Hills Trail Rides will be offering pony rides and the ever popular Moonjump will be available as well. Horse and carriage rides will be offered throughout the town and at 4, 5 and 6 p.m., a sawdust treasure hunt will take place. Other events that are scheduled include face painting and a real cow chip toss. The Hogtown Stompers will offer live music from 4 to 6:30 p.m. "The Stompers are a jug band from the Kickapoo Valley, and I believe they will add a lively atmosphere," Seeley said. The street's restaurants will be open throughout the day, as will Pete's Hamburger Stand. There will also be an ice cream truck for those who wish for a cool treat. At 7 p.m., the Dairy Princess and Little Miss Squirt will be on hand passing out dairy products to the crowd. At 7 p.m. will be the night's main attraction, the Colgate Country Showdown, will take the stage. The Showdown is a national counrty music talent contest. It is sponsored by Colgate and Prairie du Chien's own WQPC radio station. "The Colgate Country Showdown is America's largest country music talent search. The contest begins with local showdowns, including this one in Prairie du Chien. The winner of each local showdown advances to the state level, then regional, then finally the national competition in Nashville, Tenn.," Dan Moris, assistant program director for WQPC/WPRE and MC for the showdown, explained. Moris said that the local competition began with 16 contestants who sent in demo tapes of themselves singing, which were then played over the air. The Q94 listeners then narrowed the field to just eight remaining finalists, who will be performing live onstage during the Colgate Country Showdown. The listeners could vote for their favorite contestants by visiting the radio's Web site or by calling in to the station. The eight finalists will each perform one song with a live back-up band. They will be judged with the same score sheet that will be used at each level of the competition. They will be judged in five different categories: marketability in country music, vocal ablility, originality of performance, stage presence/charisma and talent. There will be four judges who are all from the area, including Donnie Stram, Brian Gilberts, Cleo Ware and Phil Stiemke. The winner of the showdown will receive a prize package from the radio station and will advance to the State Fair, where they will get the chance to compete for a monetary prize and to move on to the regional competition. "This talent show will provide fun for the entire family and we are all excited to see it all happen," Seeley said. People are encouraged to bring out their lawn chairs to enjoy the day's festivities; however, there will be a pair of bleachers available as well. "We are all very excited to bring this new event to Prairie du Chien," said executive director of the PDRI, Craig Moser. "We are praying for good weather and hope that the event draws a lot of people to the downtown area." Highland Bluff cited for second pollution violationFor the second time in six months, the developer and contractors of the Highland Bluff Resort (formerly River Bluff) have been cited by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) for stormwater run-off violations. An investigation was conducted at the construction site by Mike Wade, senior environmental specialist with IDNR on March 28, and again on April 20, after several area citizens complained of and documented substantial amounts of silt-laden run-off coming from the site. The runoff was flowing into an unnamed tributary of Sny Magill Creek, and then into the creek itself. Sny Magill is classified as a high-quality trout stream by IDNR. According to an IDNR investigation report, developer Jim Daughtry and contractors John P. Moyna, Elkader, and P.A. McGuire, Highland, Wis., failed to comply with all conditions of their General Permit #2 issued for the construction project. The General Permit #2 is a standard permit issued for construction site pollution, and requires the developers and contractors to submit a pollution prevention plan (PPP) and to build adequate retention structures to control silt run-off. The first report of run-off came back in January. Mike Wade visited the site on January 5, and filed a report documenting run-off problems he deemed as typical. At that time, Wade requested that remediation work be done at the site to stabilize the area, and that an updated PPP be filed with IDNR. Contractor C.J. Moyna did some work at the site after the January investigation. But measures taken were not extensive enough to control a one-inch or greater rainfall event, common in springtime "What they did, it wasn't adequate," Wade explained. During the April 20 inspection, five days after a rainfall, Wade reported that he saw rill and gully erosion on slopes, mud, and unmaintained silt fences. Retention ponds constructed in January were damaged and too small, according to his report. On the paperwork side, Highland Bluff did not submit an updated PPP after the January investigation, as required. Because the PPP currently on file is several years out-of-date and incomplete, IDNR says that contractors can be held equally responsible along with the developer. According to Sandy Brunker of P.A. McGuire, her company has met with IDNR and cannot be held responsible, as they are project managers at the site, not general contractors. Steve Billman of C.J. Moyna Construction declined to comment on the situation. Denise Schneider, executive assistant at Highland Bluffs, says that all construction activity at the site has been halted until the PPP is complete. She was working on a draft of the document at the end of last week. IDNR has required that the PPP be certified by a professional engineer as well. "We want to make sure we have the DNR on board," she said. She explained that the priorities for the project now are construction of a silt-retention dam, installation of utilities and then the condos. Developer Jim Daughtry was out of town and unavailable for comment. The investigation report also stated that "lack of funding has been a problem in implementing all necessary pollution prevention measures." Schneider said that the project had run into some financial difficulties. Changes in ownership occurred recently among the partners. According to Schneider, the partnership now includes Jim Daughtry, Freeman Michaels and Eric Clay. John and Alanna Freeman, parents of Freeman Michaels, have withdrawn from the partnership. Schneider says that the restructuring should help ease financial difficulties. New problems for the development may be on the horizon. No fines were levied against Highland Bluff after the January incident, but according to Mike Wade, fines are a possibility with the most recent infraction. "It's been agreed to send it to legal," Wade said. He explained that means that his office will be forwarding the investigation to the IDNR Administrative Action division, which may in turn submit it Iowa Attorney General's office for civil action. |
