May 10, 2006

The lights flickered, then went dead. The power to a large portion of Crawford County, including the city of Prairie du Chien went out Tuesday afternoon after a fire in the Hillside Substation. Gays Mills and Seneca were also affected, as were the rural areas to the east of Prairie du Chien.

Just when the power went out and when it came back on, depended on where you are located in the city. The north end of the city went out before the rural areas. The south side of the city got power back before the north side. All power was restored in Prairie du Chien by about 3 p.m. Some areas were without power for as long as an hour and a half. Thousands of customers, including local businesses that were forced to shut down temporarily, were affected.

According to Steve Lyman, a customer service manager for Alliant Energy, no one was injured in the fire. No staff was at the substation when the blackout occurred, but several Alliant Energy staff people were in town for a meeting about the construction of a new substation out on La Pointe Street.

Lyman said that the fire occurred in a device called a reclosure. The reclosure unit is what causes the flickering in the lights as it tests a line after a momentary power interruption, such as that caused by a branch touching a line, or a squirrel. The reclosure had 12,400 volts of power running through it when it caught fire.

"It"s not uncommon for sparks and heat to occur" noted Brian Downey, a spokesman for Alliant Energy.

The Prairie du Chien Fire Department responded to the scene not long after the problem was identified, at about 1:40 p.m. They put the blaze out and left the scene by about 2:45 p.m. Local and regional Alliant staff worked to shutdown the substation and to reroute the power to other substations. Oil from the reclosure unit was released during the fire. Downey said that the company uses DNR- approved procedures to clean up such substances.

The cause of the fire is still unclear. Downey said it is possible that the reclosure was damaged by lightning previously, but the damage was not detected.

Business Manager Mike Coughlin told the Prairie du Chien School Board Monday night that it is projected that the district will have a $100,000 budget deficit next year. Coughlin cautioned board members that this is a preliminary report and that factors that affect the budget may change in the near future.

"This is still a moving target" said Coughlin, who noted that the teacher's negotiation deadline is June 30 and that changes in the state legislature may also affect the budget. Rising utility costs and fuel prices were also mentioned.

Coughlin said that the budget is "reachable to break even" with a $50,000 leeway within the next couple of years. Coughlin said that balancing the budget does not increase the district's unspent balance of approximately $558,000, however, and that the board may have to make further budget cuts in the future to prevent the unspent balance from dwindling. Coughlin projected that the district will be losing 20 students per year and along with them the state aid that is paid for each student.

District Administrator Jim O'Meara and Coughlin told board members that the district may have to make the hard decision to have a referendum in the future in order to alleviate budget problems. Platteville and River Valley were cited as recent examples of school districts who went to a referendum.

Everyone needs to become more involved in the budget process now, said Coughlin. "The budget is not all about money. It"s about results" he said, in noting that the school board needs to provide the best educational programs it can for the students while at the same time adhering to budgetary constraints.

Coughlin told board members that some tough decisions are ahead.

In other business, the board unanimously approved the expenditure of $103,500 to further upgrade the district's computer system. The money will come from the State Trust Fund Loan and will be paid off over five years. New computers will purchased, along with setting up a portable, wireless computer lab for Bluff View Intermediate School. Coughlin said that this technology upgrade had been figured into his preliminary budget projections.

As part of the technology upgrade, the board also approved of a switch from AT&T to Badger Net for the district's internet service. The move will double the speed of the district's internet capability while decreasing the cost from $1,000 per month to $405 per month.

In further business, the district:

´Approved an expenditure for roof repairs of $15,000. The $15,000 had already been budgeted for as part of the $1.2 million roof referendum. The $15,000 will be used to seal some seams.

´Approved of a new alternative education option, GED Option II, which will be set up at no cost to the district.

´Approved Lacy McCarthy as a high school Spanish teacher.

´Accepted the resignation of Violet Lenzendorf as a support staff member. At 80, Lenzendorf was the oldest staff member in the Prairie du Chien School District.

Violet Lenzendorf can still remember where her desk was in the second floor classroom at Eastman School. Lenzendorf, 80, has been associated with the school in one form or another her entire life. Since 1973, she has been the school cook. "I've been here so long it's pathetic" she chuckles.

Lenzendorf attended Eastman School (now ECHOES School) in the 1930"s and 40"s, through the tenth grade, after which she completed school in Seneca. "There wasn't any bus running to Prairie then" she recalls.

Later, she and her husband, the late Robert Lenzendorf, farmed just a few miles south of Eastman and raised nine children, Gary, Dennis, Robin, Phyllis, Renee, Sandy, Roxanne, Jeff and Sherry. All of the children also attended Eastman School. She still lives on the family farm with her son Robin and his wife Shelly.

When the children grew up, she was offered a job. "One of the teachers come to me and said 'We need a cook and how about you tryin' it?' So I did" Lenzendorf remembered.

After cooking for such a large family, cooking for 30 or so school children was not hard. Violet enjoys making homemade treats for the children as much as possible.

"I sneak things in. Now today, I made banana cake. I make the bread, bake cookies" she said.

Violet says she has always enjoyed the children at the school, and watching the children of area families grow up, such as the Kramers, the Martins, the Granzows and the Achenbachs. "Through the years, it's been wonderful for the kids to be so good to me" Violet said.

She also recalls teachers at the school she knew well, such as Mrs. Dobbs and Hazel Elgin, who asked her to take the cook's job.

ECHOES School is closing for good at the end of this school year. It will be the end of an era in Eastman, where some in the community have fought to keep the school open.