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May 6, 2009 |
The Prairie du Chien School Board will have a special meeting at noon on Thursday, May 7 to decide whether or not to proceed with having a referendum for what is being called a Prairie du Chien Community-Activity Center.
Should the board decide to proceed with the referendum, it will be held on Tuesday, June 23. As the board decided at a special meeting on Tuesday, May 5, the referendum will involve up to $7 million for a community-activity center building to be built near the high school.
It has not yet been decided what such a building would offer all of the various age groups that reside in Prairie du Chien.
"The use would only be limited by imagination," District Administrator Drew Johnson has said at previous meetings on the subject. A composite floor has been discussed, which would allow for various activities. Such a center could be used for several purposes such as athletic tournaments, concerts, plays, art shows, conventions, recreational programs and business meetings.
Johnson has said that the Prairie du Chien School District could receive up to $7 million for a community center or for any other appropriate project, if the school board and the residents would agree to do so.
In addition, the school district has been actively seeking partners in such a project, such as the city of Prairie du Chien.
The funding for such a community center would be in the form of zero interest bonds. The federal government would pay the interest and the district would pay the principal on the Qualified School Construction Bonds. The bond proceeds may be used to finance new construction, rehabilitation, repair of public school facilities and the acquisition of land.
The application deadline for such a project would have to be in before June 30.
Because the federal government covers all of the interest in the form of tax credits on the bonds, there could be a resulting savings of up to 50 percent for a project such as a community center.
Furthermore, state aid would fund approximately 60-70 percent of the principal payment. In short, a $7 million community center could be built for approximately $3 million. This would result in a school district payment of $200,000 per year for 15 years.
Following a closed session to discuss the school district's proposal to participate with the school in a community recreational facility, the Prairie du Chien Common Council last night directed preparation of a of the city's recreational needs.
City Administrator Jim Gitz and Parks and Rec. Director Mike Ulrich have been asked to draw up a detailed list of space requirements and programming needs to submit to the school board. Gitz anticipated this list would be completed some time today.
"They [the school board] have in effect said ‘This is an idea; what would it take for you to get seriously interested,'" said Gitz. He said a big open space would not by itself meet community needs, and neither would access to the complex for only part of the day. "The city's overall plan identifies quality of life as an important issue in the community, and one of these qualities is year- round recreational facilities. Whatever the council decides, I think they'll be very loyal to the goal," he added.
It is not, he said, a question of Hoffman Hall or the school complex, and it would be inappropriate to portray it as such. The six million dollar figure referred to for renovating Hoffman Hall includes many nonessential items, and Gitz estimated the cost would be half that or less.
If that work is done, he said, the city council is not going to approve borrowing several million dollars at market rate, but could take advantage of a stimulus program option through which the city could receive a 35 percent interest subsidy on borrowing from the State Trust Fund.
Council also received the Public Works report on Community Sensitive design issues for the Highway 18 bypass and waterfront planning. The planner for the Highway 18 project discussed the different types of grasses which could be planted along the roadway, and the options for the bridge overpass. Council member Jaaren Riebe said that the Department of Transportation (DOT), which is constructing the project, builds box bridges and gives the community a dollar allowance to make it look attractive. Council member Mary Wayne said it could be similar to the County Road C bridge on the road to Wyalusing State Park, but final decisions are yet to be made.
In other business council:
•Approved the low bid of $25,128 from Hydro Designs of Brookfield for a three year contract on a cross connection control program for the city water systems.
•Approved bidding for reconstruction of alley sewers for two blocks from Iowa to Webster between Ohio and Dousman. Following a discussion of whether the whether the alley should be surfaced with gravel or asphalt, council decided on the gravel surface since it is pervious to water and would not contribute to storm water runoff.
By Trudy Balcom
As a horse owner, I can tell you that I sometimes worry about the horses getting out. Did I really shut that gate before I went to work?
But I never worried about another horse breaking into our pastures.
When I arrived home on April 30, that's just what I found—a paint stallion that had broken into our barnyard.
He was having a fine time chasing a mare around. The other occupant of the barnyard, a gelding named Little Bit, gave the distinct impression he would rather be somewhere else. He hovered by the gate where he could watch for my car to drive up.
Neighbors provided an outline of how this horse arrived on our property. Jim and Missy Sess had seen him about a mile from our house while working on the property of another neighbor. They had tried unsuccessfully to catch him. Then, after they arrived home, they heard a lot of whinnying and fuss up at our place and decided to investigate. That's when they discovered the stallion for the second time that day, and contacted my husband.
I moved the rest of our horses to a pasture away from the stallion to ensure their safety. There was no need to move the mare. She and the visiting stallion had settled into a steady romance that is sure to result in a foal next spring.
Then I made some phone calls. What do you do with a stray stallion?
The Sess' said they thought the horse had come from Yellow River State Forest, just three miles down the road. Although they had contacted park ranger Rylan Retallick, I decided I had better call him myself.
Retallick confirmed that the horse had been seen at Yellow River. Retallick said that there was at least one other stallion wandering the park, and that as far as he knew no one was looking for them.
"Nobody knows for sure where the horses are coming from," Retallick told me.
The Paint Creek Unit of Yellow River State forest is the largest segment of the forest, which includes 8,500 acres in total. It's a popular destination for campers, anglers and trail riders with two horse campgrounds and miles of scenic trails. That's where the stallion had been seen.
Area horse enthusiasts had been talking for some time about the possibility of horses being abandoned at Yellow River.
The downturn in the horse market began about two years ago, sending horse prices down by sometimes 50 percent or more, leaving many people with herds of animals that suddenly had little cash value, but still needed feed and veterinary care.
That fact, combined with the closing of U.S. horse slaughter plants by a change in U.S. law in 2006 has created a perfect storm for horse neglect and abandonment. Neglect and abandonment cases have jumped dramatically nationwide.
Now, with the downturn in the national economy as well, this issue had arrived in my own barnyard.
After the stallion had spent the weekend at our place, I talked to Allamakee County Sheriff Tim Heidersheit.
The Sheriff said he would make arrangements for the horse to be hauled away from our place and held at the home of a deputy. According to Iowa law, the horse must be held and an advertisement must be placed in the paper for two weeks in order to give an owner an opportunity to reclaim the animal. Heidersheit said he had little faith anyone would turn up to claim the horse. He's seen problems with horses before.
Allamakee County handled a case in 2007 of 47 neglected horses held in a lot west of Waukon. The horses were seized and held by the Sheriff.
"They were so skinny and neglected we couldn't sell them," said Deputy Kevin Bublitz.
The horses had to be held as evidence, at a cost to the county of about $9,000 for feed and veterinary care. Owner Kelly Olson was charged with neglect, but the case was later dismissed.
"It's kind of an epidemic around the country," Heidersheit said.
The America Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, passed in 2006, closed the last horse processing plants in the U.S. The plants processed the meat for foreign markets in Europe and Asia.
Unwanted, old and injured horses formerly sent to slaughter are now turning up on public lands across the U.S., most noticeably in Kentucky and in western prairie states.
Horses can still be sold for slaughter, but now they must endure a 20-30 hour truck ride to Mexico or Canada for processing. Locally, slaughter buyers regularly attend the Ron Juve Horse Auction in Waukon.
Like many other Americans and horse lovers, I find the thought of horse slaughter distasteful. But I'm not so sure the alternative of abandoned and neglected horses is better. Like dogs and cats, there are just too many horses.
My husband Tim likes to name things, so of course he had to name our visitor, dubbing him "Hildago" after the famous paint horse of screen and legend (O.K., so the name is really Hidalgo, don't tell Tim). We feed him grain out of a bucket, trying to pet him while he eats. He's afraid of being touched, but he's starting to follow us around the barnyard, hoping for a treat.
I can't help but hope Hildago's story will end on a happier note. But there are thousands of horses like him, some better trained, who are also in need of a home.
May 4, 2009 |
Mayor Karl Steiner said that he will be pursuing the contentious issue on the basis that roundabouts built in areas where there is pedestrian traffic may quite possibly be illegal under federal law.
Steiner said that he contacted Michigan attorney Richard Bernstein, who has played a large part in putting a stop to roundabouts recently in Green Bay, Wisconsin and in Oakland County, Michigan.
"This is not a dead issue yet," said Steiner, who noted that he has also contacted the Wisconsin Department of Transportation regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act as it pertains to roundabouts and pedestrians.
Bernstein is a blind attorney who works completely pro-bono in an effort to help people with limited access to have a decent quality of life. Bernstein is employed by the Law Offices of Samuel I. Bernstein of Farmington Hills, Michigan.
"I fight for people with disabilities and special needs," said Bernstein. "It is my entire life’s work and I’m very passionate about it."
Bernstein said that because the traffic continually flows, it is impossible for a blind person to cross the street at a roundabout, and therefore, they are illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Bernstein put this to the test recently when he presented the city of Green Bay with information regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act and with information about the Hawk System, an untested traffic control device by which a blind person might be able to cross at a roundabout.
The Green Bay City Council had approved of constructing six roundabouts in a row on one of the city’s most busy downtown streets in an area where there was a large amount of pedestrian traffic. After being presented with this information, and under the threat of a possible lawsuit, the Green Bay City Council rescinded its approval of the roundabouts.
"They were gunning for a lawsuit but they backed down," said Bernstein, who noted that the mayor of Green Bay recommended that the council rescind its earlier approval of the roundabouts due to "new information."
Bernstein also said that his home county, Oakland County, Michigan, had constructed two roundabouts in high pedestrian areas about two years ago and had plans to construct many more throughout the county.
"There was huge fight with the Oakland County Road Commission," said Bernstein, who noted that the case was heard in federal court and involved the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.
The court ruled to stay the case for approximately one year, pending the outcome of the testing of a signal system regarding pedestrian crossings at roundabouts. One of the two roundabouts that had already been constructed will have to install the Hawk System at the county’s expense. Bernstein said that the installation of the Hawk System is expected to cost more than $1 million. Bernstein explained that the Hawk System basically consists of a button that is pushed by a person wishing to cross the roundabout. When the button is pushed, it activates a signal by which all traffic is to come to a stop. The person then can safely cross. The Hawk System in Michigan will be the first in the United States said Bernstein, and will be monitored to see if it works or not. If the Hawk System works, other roundabouts will be allowed to be constructed in Oakland County if they feature the Hawk System. If the Hawk System fails, there will be three options for the existing roundabouts. The county could build a bridge over the roundabouts for foot traffic. The county could build a tunnel under the roundabouts for pedestrians, or the county could tear out the roundabouts and reconstruct conventional intersections.
"We are like a test case," said Bernstein, who noted that foot bridges and tunnels have been the norm at roundabouts in Europe for decades.
Bernstein said that two elderly people were recently struck by a car while attempting to cross one of the roundabouts in Oakland County. The two were severely injured and are still hospitalized, he said.
Bernstein said that his contact with Mayor Steiner is in the very early stages and that Steiner is in the process of researching the situation regarding the proposed roundabouts in Prairie du Chien.
Bernstein said that he does not like what the Wisconsin DOT is doing throughout the state, however, and he is opposed to roundabouts in downtown areas or other areas where there is pedestrian traffic.
"This is a very serious issue, somewhat scandalous actually," he said. "I think what the DOT is doing to you guys is horrible. I think they’re looking for a showdown."
"What the DOT is doing in Wisconsin is really outrageous," he continued. "It’s unbelievable, negligent, wasteful and dangerous. It’s insane for a downtown area to install roundabouts."
Bernstein said that he would like to have the approval of the roundabouts rescinded without having to fight the issue. "We don’t like to fight unless we have to," he said, in noting that perhaps the Prairie du Chien City Council and the DOT would reconsider once it receives the new information regarding the roundabouts and the Americans with Disability Act and the Hawk System.
"The DOT would have to argue as a matter of constitutional law that it is possible for a blind person to cross at a roundabout and therefore roundabouts are legal," he said. "There is no gray area concerning the blind crossing a roundabout. It is physically impossible for the blind to cross a roundabout. What your saying is that a disabled person can’t live in your community or visit your community if you have roundabouts."
Bernstein said that he is not only fighting for the disabled but for everyone. "I have a saying, what is good for the disabled is good for everyone," he said. "We are not just fighting for the disabled. We are also fighting for children, pedestrians, senior citizens and cyclists. We want to make intersections safe for everybody."
Bernstein said that he would hope that there could be a resolution and that the DOT would hold off building the roundabouts until the Hawk System can be fully tested.
He did, however, say that if push came to shove, there would be a fight.
"If they (the DOT) want to provoke a showdown, there’s going to be a showdown," said Bernstein. "The state is playing with fire. They are showing a reckless disregard for the disabled."
Bernstein said that the Oakland County case has made the roundabout issue a statewide issue in Michigan.
Ian Winger of the Wisconsin DOT said that in the spring or summer of 2008 he told the Prairie du Chien City Council about the Hawk System.
"Pedestrian traffic needs to be addressed at every location," he said.
Winger said that he would rather not comment about pedestrian safety at roundabouts but would instead send a Transportation Synthesis Report compiled by the DOT to the Courier Press. The report gives information regarding pedestrian safety at roundabouts, particularly the safety of visually impaired persons.
In the Summary section of the report, it states, "Our research identified a great deal of interest in roundabouts at the national level. Perhaps the most significant of these National Projects are guidelines proposed by the United States Access Board, an independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities, that would require installation of a pedestrian signal where pedestrian crossings are provided at multilane roundabout intersections. Once formally adopted, the Access Board’s guidelines become standards that will be applied by the U.S. DOT. A final rule is expected sometime in 2010."
The Summary section goes on to state that research was undertaken in response to the Access Board’s guidelines. Results from this research that evaluates roundabout crossing solutions for visually impaired pedestrians are expected by the end of 2009.
The Summary section also stated that a 2007 report "Roundabouts in the United States" said that a low level of vehicle/pedestrian conflict was reported in a study and that no pedestrian crashes were reported. Researchers noted, however, that the study did not address the accessibility of roundabouts for pedestrians with visual impairments.
The Summary section also noted that a heightened interest in pedestrian accessibility at roundabouts is reflected in a Michigan roundabout lawsuit. Two pedestrian signal treatments—a Hawk signal and a rectangular rapid flash beacon—will be tested on two roundabouts in Oakland County, Michigan as ordered by a federal court. A final report on the testing is due in approximately August of 2010.
The Summary section also stated that roundabout research is evolving. It said that completed research contains relatively little significant data relating to pedestrian safety at roundabouts.
Under the National Projects section of the report, it stated that in a study in the fall of 2008, researchers installed two treatments—a Hawk signal and a raised crosswalk-—at a two-lane roundabout site in Golden, Colo. The treatments were later removed. The evaluation found that after the Hawk beacon was installed, there was a 28 percent reduction in all crashes and a 58 percent reduction in pedestrian crashes.
As of 2007, there were approximately 1,000 roundabouts in the United States, about one-fourth of which were multilane. The three roundabouts proposed for Prairie du Chien are all multilane, and, therefore would require a pedestrian activated signal system under the United States Access Board guidelines.
Sometime this week, workers are expected to begin a trial operation to replace the paint which has peeled from the Highway 18 bridge across the Mississippi.
Ian Winger, Department of Transportation (DOT) project supervisor for Southwest Wisconsin, said he did not have the final report, but there are at least two types of paint failures on the bridge. In addition, different type of paint and paint systems were used on different parts of the bridge. This makes for complications in determining what went wrong and how to fix it.
In some areas of the bridge where paint is peeling, such as the outside beam, Winger said the area was stripped down to bare metal before repainting. In other areas where paint is peeling, workers applied new paint over old paint.
As workers have inspected the paint job over the past several months, it was noted there has been no peeling on the high arch over the river. That, said Winger, was painted with a three-coat system and the paint was rolled on. The other parts of the bridge were sprayed.
Work will begin on the Iowa side of the bridge.
