By Ted Pennekamp

Mayor Karl Steiner said Tuesday that the former National Dec property will not need to have a brownfield, and that the property will be suitable and available for a number of uses.

Steiner said that Philip Gelat, the owner of the 11-acre, river front property on St. Feriole Island will be taking the monitoring wells out and, thus, there will be no need for a cap or brown field. Steiner said that when the wells are taken out, it is expected that the Wisconsin DNR will declare the site "clean."

A 1994 DNR document shows that "no further action" was needed on the site and that groundwater monitoring of the site was no longer required. Also, no reports needed to be given to the DNR regarding inspections or maintenance. It was recommended that Northern Engraving maintain a log of inspections and maintenance, however. There was also a deed restriction on the property that required inspection and maintenance of the cap.

Steiner said that the former National Deck property site will be discussed by the City Council in the future. If the council wants the "clean" site for the city, several options can be discussed for the site’s use. If the city does not want the site, Steiner said that the site will be leased by the Fourth Ward Preservation Committee.

Steiner said that the property’s owner Philip Gelat will be offering to lease the property to the city for $2 a year for 10 years. After 10 years, the property would belong to the city outright.

Steiner said that he has contacted some Amish people about the property. He said that it is possible that a deal could be reached whereby the Amish could take down the fence around the property and have the fence for their own use and that they could also build a bandstand on the property.

Steiner also said that more parking for the North Boat Landing could possibly be constructed on the former National Deck property. A Fourth Ward Museum for the property has also been discussed.

By Sandy Vold

If approved as proposed, the 2010 city budget will increase by only 2.5 percent, rising from $6,551,397 in 2009 to $6,715,758 for the coming year.

This change, says City Administrator Jim Gitz, should result in a 3.1 percent increase in the city’s portion of property taxes, with the mil rate increasing from 9.48 to 9.68, or 19 to 20 cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation.

"We have worked very hard to keep the budget modest with a minimum impact on citizens’ pocket books," Gitz said. With an approximately $25,000 reduction in revenue from the state, the need to increase salaries per union contract and rising costs, Gitz said he was very pleased at the council’s actions to minimize the increases.

The city’s financial situation is improving, he said. The city not only has a balanced budget for 2009, but they have honored all contractual obligations. "The city’s deep budget cuts from last year are paying dividends," he added.

"The primary commitment of the council," said Gitz, "is how to provide basic services to the people of Prairie du Chien at the lowest possible cost. We know people are hurting, but we also know that people want a functioning government, sewer and water services, plowed streets and police and fire protection."

In some areas, budget costs have actually decreased. General government expenditures have decreased by $49,619, public safety by $44,928 and public works by $20,805.

Only a portion of taxes collected actually go to the city. The state, county and school district also take a share, and this year, residents will begin to pay taxes for the building program at Southwest Technical College, approved by referendum a year ago.

A public hearing on the budget is set for Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.

By Sandy Vold

Following a closed session at last night’s meeting, Prairie du Chien Common Council authorized submitting an offer to purchase the old Prairie Maison property. If all goes as hoped, the city can soon begin planning how best to transform the 4.9 acre tract of land into an energy-efficient single family housing development designed to attract young working families.

The offer is to purchase the property for $150,000 from Community Health Services, which owns the property. Included in the offer are several conditions which must be met for the purchase to go through. These conditions relate to approval of grants, cost of demolition of the building and other factors. City Administrator Gitz said the city and the Health Services board have already arrived at a tentative verbal agreement on the purchase, and the details must be worked out to the satisfaction of both parties.

Gitz explained that the property has been on the open market for some time with no takers, which is no surprise in the current economy. Neither the city nor the Community Health board want to see the property sit for a lengthy period of time, he said, to later be sold at a "bargain basement" price for an undetermined use.

Both parties, he said, want to see the highest and best use of the property. The city’s recently-completed housing survey indicates that the city lacks new or newer housing that is appealing to new families, and that because of that, many of these families purchase property in adjoining townships rather than settle in the city.

To solve this problem and prevent the potential deterioration into a blighted area, the city would like to purchase the property and prepare it for development to complement the single family homes in the surrounding neighborhood.

Such a development, Gitz said, would "have a tremendous impact on the tax base." Having the city, rather than a developer, purchase the property would make sense because the city has access to grants and TIF funds which would be unavailable to a private developer. Using such monies, said Gitz, would mean housing costs could be kept lower than usual and the savings passed on to the new home buyers. "We may be able to develop and create energy efficient housing at lower prices than in the open market because we are able to access grants and resources," he said.

"We have an opportunity to take a potential blighted property and do something spectacular that produces high quality energy-efficient housing," he added.

Gitz said Community Health Services has been very supportive of the plan, and the purchase would mean the organization would have funds available to begin building the next phase of its senior housing complex.

Also following the closed session, council authorized staff to continue negotiations on the former Stratton property at the corner of Main Street and Blackhawk Avenue. Gitz said it is hoped that a contract will be ready for approval in December.

In other business council:

•Approved setting a limit of $50 a month on cell phone bills for the mayor and other elected officials with the stipulation that anything over that amount is their responsibility. The mayor has a land line telephone in his office.

•Approved vacation of the alley in Block 21 on St. Feriole Island. The alley runs through the middle of St. Feriole Island Gardens.

•Asked that a resident request for safer pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Washington and 6th Street be referred to the Protection and Health Committee for recommendations. David Brunner told council that although there is a yield sign at the intersection, drivers are not obeying it and he has had problems crossing the street several times.

•Heard reports from the Protection and Health Committee regarding a possible consolidation of the city Police Department and the County Sheriff’s Department. The report indicated that the city police chief opposes it due to a concern there will be fewer resources to address city issues. No action has been taken.

•Accepted another Protection and Health report on allowing city police officers to unlock vehicles. Police officers had expressed concern about access to vehicles in emergency situations. There is, however, also an issue of liability. The committee will continue to study the issue.

•Accepted the low bids for purchase of an equipment trailer, a hand-held concrete saw and a walk-behind concrete saw. The bids, said City Planning Consultant Garth Frable, came in more than $6,000 lower than expected, and council authorized asking for bids for a front-mounted snowblower. The low prices have enabled the city to purchase items that were on the budget for future years.

By Sandy Vold

"We were poor as church mice," says Dorothy Kasparek of the circumstances under which she and her husband, Donald, were married. He was making $18 a week working at the Paul Schmidt Ford dealership in Prairie du Chien, and she was making $5 a week plus room and board working as maid for the Schmidt family. The year was 1939, and Dorothy (then Dorothy Nagel) went down to the dealership to cash her paycheck (if she waited a month to collect her pay she got a $5 bonus).

Donald happened to be working at the counter that day, and when he waited on her he joked, "Let’s go somewhere to spend it." Four months later they decided to get married. They were wed in a simple ceremony at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Elkader on Thursday, Nov. 23, with Wilma Toubl and John Novey as witnesses. Novey and Toubl later married, and helped the Kaspareks celebrate their 50 anniversary.

There was no financial help from their parents, since Donald’s parents had died before he finished high school, and Dorothy’s parents had nine other children for whom to provide.

The bride and groom couldn’t afford a wedding photographer, but Wilma’s mother cooked them a special wedding dinner of squab. They drove to Chicago for their honeymoon, returning so Donald could be back at work Monday morning.

Dorothy worked as a maid for several different families, and Donald stayed at the Ford dealership until 1950,taking a brief hiatus to serve in the army during World War II. In 1950, he took a job as Prairie du Chien postmaster and retired from it in 1977. Dorothy worked at Prairie Locker for many years.

Money was tight those first years, but they knew how to economize. For entertainment, they went to free events. "I canned everything—even chicken," Dorothy said. She also sewed clothes and even coats for the girls (daughter Bernice was born in 1943, and their niece, Marie, came to live with them when she was in third grade). Dorothy’s grandmother had been a hat maker in Wheaton, Ill, and it was she who taught Dorothy how to sew.

They purchased their first house on East Iowa Street for $2,500. Before that they rented for $12 a month.

Over the years their financial situation improved, and when Donald retired, they spent two months in Europe, visiting several different countries. Perhaps the most interesting, if not the most enjoyable part of their trip was a visit to an "English Garden" in Munich. It turned out to be a nudist colony.

There have been other tips as well. One was to Czechoslovakia, where they able to visit the house where one of Donald’s grandmothers was born. They spent a summer in Alaska with Bernice and her husband, Bob Norman, who were living on a sailboat in Puget Sound. They also visited the Virgin Islands with them and took a trip to Hawaii.

"We’ve been very fortunate health wise," said Donald, "and I had a good job." Donald is now 93 years old, and Dorothy, who is 90, says they used to do a lot of walking, but admits that they are "slowing down" now. Nevertheless they still walk as much as possible.

Asked the secret of a marriage that lasts for 70 years, Dorothy said, "It’s ‘for better or worse,’ I guess. There are good times and bad." Donald had three words of advice: "Work things out."

They couple had a big 50th anniversary celebration, and Bernice and Marie hosted a big party for Dorothy’s 90th birthday, but they are planning no special celebration for the upcoming 70th anniversary. Friends and relatives are, however, invited to send cards and letters.

The following is the fourth in a series of articles to be written by Prairie du Chien’s Patrick Igou for The Courier Press as he chronicles his exploits while hiking the length of the 2,172-mile Appalachian Trail from Mount Katahdin, Maine to Springer Mountain, Georgia.

The trail has held many a surprise for yours truly since I have last written. There was wind, there was rain, there was snow, and there was Lyme Disease.

Southern Virginia was the site of an unusually early cold snap. I saw the first frost, first frozen puddle, and walked through my first snow during those trying days. Walking was bad enough but not walking was even worse due to the lack of proper cold weather gear which is far too heavy to pack down a mountain chain. On the upside, I once again met up with those intrepid hikers from Beaver Dam, the Brothers Hankes. It is always nice to have someone hear your complaints even if there is nothing to be done about them.

I had been coming down with the occasional fever, running out of energy, and going through bouts of joint pain and stiffness for a couple hundred miles when a large rash developed on the side of my torso. I thought the rash came from yet another spider bite and the other ailments were symptoms of hiking for 1,700 miles. I gave it no further thought. Then, on a nice day in Marian, VA, the Hankes boys and myself were invited to the dinner table of a John and Becky Sparger. They were gracious and hospitable hosts. What's even more, Becky is a nurse and was willing to give me an opinion on my rash. Her opinion was that I needed to see a doctor. Luckily for me, there was a doctor in the family. Before driving us back to the trail, Mr. Sparger swung by his father-in-law's house where I was examined, diagnosed, and written a prescription right there in the living room. That taking care of itself, all I had to do was hike another 100 miles to Damascus where I had my prescription filled and now I'm on the mend.

The literal ups and downs of the trail have become nearly as dramatic as the figurative. The Tennessee and North Carolina border runs along some very tall mountain tops. Many of these mountains have bald peaks and ridgelines which are covered with prairies. On nice days, one is reminded of the mountains of the west. On poor days, nothing can be seen at all and one is left to imagine how the views would have been on a better day. I am currently on the northern doorstep of the Great Smoky Mountains. One huge climb and we will be spending the better part of a brisk November week up around 6,000 feet, should be fun.

In other news, the Tennessee bear hunting season has opened and I believe the North Carolina season is also in full swing as well. The woods are not as lonely as they once were. Between the hunters and dogs, we see a lot of action going on up in these mountains. We've seen everything but the bears out there. That reminds me, good luck to everyone who is going out deer hunting back home. I'd like to thank all the family and friends who mailed me on this trip, especially the students over at the St. John's Middle School. All the mail has made a lot of days much nicer than they actually were.

I have 275 miles left. I can't linger in this warm library any longer. The trail calls and a guy won't get anywhere out here if he ain't walking there.