New 6th District council member selected

At Tuesday evening’s meeting, council elected a new 6th District council person, tabled action on exploring solar energy grants, heard a sobering report on lack of salt for the city’s streets this winter and pondered what to do when another governmental agency mistakenly paves a city street and then asks for reimbursement.

Following several council meetings with only one 6th District representative, council elected Judeen Ames to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Mike Brouse.

Four candidates presented their qualifications for the office:

At the advice of City Attorney Tom Peterson, council cast two rounds of ballots, with the first to determine the top two candidates. With Council members Pintz and Dagnon absent, Sharon Boylen voted for Mike Faas, and the other members voted for Judeen Ames. Because the procedure had already been agreed upon, a second round of ballots was cast with the same result. Ames was sworn in following the balloting.

Although council approved having a free estimate done by Novan Solar for providing solar power to Hoffman Hall, they denied a motion to give Novan a letter of exclusivity for installation of solar projects on city buildings.

They also tabled an agreement with Summit Blue, which writes grant applications for solar projects, asking for more specific information about what Summit would provide. Mayor Karl Steiner urged the council to move forward with the agreement, saying he feared the grant money would "dry up" by the end of the year. Other council members said they feared spending city money without specific details. Said council member Joe Ruskey, "we can’t make a poor fiscal decision and send the city into debt."

Public Works co-manager Terry Meyer reported that news is grim for obtaining salt for winter streets. He said the city had signed a contract for salt purchases in May, but the provider informed them Aug. 26 that he can’t obtain the salt. Meyer said he had heard from one other company which would sell the salt, but at almost double the price. Meyer said other cities and counties are facing the same problem. City Attorney Peterson said he would examine the contract, since the city may have a course of action if they have to purchase salt at a higher price.

Alternatives to the salt might be use of additional sand or more attentive plowing before snow and ice become packed.

In an unusual turn of events, Meyer reported that the city is being asked to pay at least part of the cost of resurfacing part of Bluff View Road, mistakenly repaired by the town of Bridgeport. Dennis Pelock, Crawford County Highway Commissioner, had identified areas where the shoulder of the road had washed away. Pelock contacted Bridgeport, which had the road repaired at a cost of $3,100. Then it was discovered the road was part of Prairie du Chien.

Meyer said since Prairie du Chien didn’t authorize it, he doesn’t feel the city should pay the entire bill, and they are working on some type of split among the city, county, and Bridgeport.

In other business, council:

Crawford County Celebrates this weekend

On September 20 and 21, the Crawford County Tourism Council launches the second-annual Crawford County Celebrates, a full slate of activities covering six events in six different communities.  Event organizers have been working diligently for months to produce a series of events that will appeal to a wide spectrum of audiences.

Event organizers hope that Crawford County Celebrates, which is billed as a "celebration of community," will encourage people to celebrate the pride and passion they feel for their home towns, especially in a year when spirits have been dampened by floods and high gas prices. 

Held in conjunction with the Driftless Area Art Festival, "Crawford County Celebrates" spans the entire county as communities add a bit of local flavor to weekend activities. While traveling the scenic roads of Crawford County, you can sample a taste from each venue, including a lamplight tour of the "back door" world of the Villa Louis historic mansion, an Amish craft market, a remarkable display of gemstone art, a local harvest dinner, a bicycle ride through the Driftless landscape, and an exceptional gathering of Driftless area artists. 

The weekend starts with the third annual Craft Fair and Gemstone Display in Wauzeka on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m..  The event features Larry Phetteplace and the intricate inlaid gemstone art of his late father, Joseph.  Also on tap are a food stand and exhibitors of baked goods, preserves, stuffed animals, woodcrafts, jewelry, soy candles, and miscellaneous craft Items. 

The newest event added in the Crawford County Celebrates schedule is the Kickapoo BRAVE Ride—BRAVE stands for bluffs, rivers, and valleys event.  Participants will enjoy a bicycle ride through the Driftless landscapes of Crawford County, with routes that take you through the Kickapoo countryside. The Ride starts from Gays Mills on Saturday morning at 9 a.m, from the Crawford County Fairgrounds, and features 20—80 mile routes along rural roads (some gravel) for both beginners and experts.  $35 registration fee includes Brave Dinner Brave t-shirt, and gift bag.

On Saturday evening, BRAVE Ride participants and the general public are invited to the Kickapoo BRAVE Dinner at St. Wenceslaus Church in Eastman, with the meal from 6 to 8 p.m., and entertainment by the Wayne Brothers from 7 to 10 p.m. The local harvest dinner includes baked chicken breasts with herbs, cherry tomatoes and feta crumbles, (vegetarian option: pasta w/shiitakes & seasonal vegetables), roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic, tossed salad with seasonal vegetables and balsamic dressing, purple and green cabbage slaw  with Asian sesame dressing, rice or bulgur salad vegetables, bread, & dessert.  Local wines and beer will also be available.  Festivities in Eastman will begin earlier in the day with a Bean Bag Tournament at noon at the Eastman ballpark.  The doubles tournament registration begins at 11:30 a.m., with a fee of $10 per team.

Ferryville will again offer an Amish Market in the Park in Sugar Creek Park on Saturday, just south of Ferryville on Highway 35.  The market, open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., features Amish craft items such as hand-made baskets, furniture, throw rugs, toys, baked goods; and other products such as garden plants, nursery items, home made preserves, and flea market items.  A food concession will be on site. Molly Buckles, Donny Anderson, and Ethyl Lerum will be providing river-themed music throughout the day.

Prairie du Chien will present a lamplight tour at the Villa Louis, also on Saturday from 5:30 to 8 pm with tours every half hour. Held at dusk, the tour will focus on the "back door" world of the Villa Louis from the perspective of the servants who tended to the elegant lifestyle of the Dousman family and prepared the household for their prominent guests.  The historic Villa Louis mansion is the centerpiece of a grand Victorian estate built by the family of Hercules Dousman. In downtown Prairie du Chien, professional and amateur photographers will display their work in downtown business windows. The display will be available for viewing on Friday through Sunday. 

The anchor of Crawford County Celebrates will again be the Driftless Area Art Festival in Soldiers Grove, a regional festival featuring over 80 artists from the Driftless area, which is home to a variety of talented artists creating art in a wide array of different media.  Area originality reaches beyond the visual arts into the performing and culinary arts.  You can listen to musicians who perform lively bluegrass, sophisticated jazz or the best of classical music. You can enjoy theater from improv to Shakespeare.  And then there is the food, from spring’s maple syrup to summer’s honeys to fall’s apples, from artisan cheeses to wines made from cool climate grapes.  The Festival grounds are open from 10 to 5 on Saturday, and 10 to 4 on Sunday, with musical performances throughout the day. 

Arts Center coming to McGregor

Most visitors and residents alike would agree that there is plenty to do and enjoy year-round in the great outdoors in the McGregor-Marquette area. The natural beauty of the landscape provides a tremendous benefit to the community; the region is rich in natural resources.

But within our community is an untapped vein of wealth—our cultural riches.

That was one of the problems addressed by the Visioning Team of the McGregor-Marquette Great Places initiative when they first began meeting about two years ago. Several people on the team mentioned that the community needed a place and an organization that could provide a home for and foster the arts and cultural life.

"It seemed kind of ironic that a community where so many creative people live didn’t have an arts center," said Visioning Team member Maria Brummel. "We wanted to see if we could find a way to change that.

A separate committee was formed around an idea to solve this problem, and began meeting about a year and a half ago. Committee members have shifted somewhat during that time; currently the members include residents of McGregor and Marquette as well as artists from surrounding areas that are really interested in seeing an arts center become a reality.

The committee simply call themselves the McGregor-Marquette Arts Center, and they have filed with the state and the federal government as a nonprofit. The group has functioned so far on the donations of time and money from committee members; soon they will begin fundraising.

Starting an arts center in a small town is no easy task.

The committee faced the primary challenge of finding a home for an arts center, and deciding just what the Arts Center should offer to the community.

One thing they agreed upon was the need for a gallery. A gallery, the committee felt, could provide a service and exposure for area artists to sell their work. It would also provide a place where the community could gather to see and learn about art in an accessible way.

But the Arts Center should do more than provide a gallery space, the committee felt. It should also act as a center for arts education and it should offer a venue for the performing arts including film, music and dance by actively working to bring such performances to town.

"The focus of the Art Center is twofold, but both plans are designed to be a benefit to the citizens of McGregor, Marquette and surrounding Clayton County," explained committee member Anne Loomis, who has a residence in Marquette and works as an attorney.

"One goal is to provide gallery space for display and sale of art and the second to provide instructional space for art classes. From my perspective, it is necessary to have a permanent home for the Art Center so that it can become a real part of the community. We want the kids and other art class attendees to be able to point to the building and tell their family members ‘that’s where I take art lessons.’ We intend for the gallery space to become a comfortable gathering place where art can be viewed and people can attend community events such as speakers of interest, film festivals, organizational meetings and other events. Therefore, having a permanent home base is important to the identity of the Art Center," Loomis explained.

An initial home for the Arts Center will be located in the Russo Building at 330 Main Street. Building owners Melanie SanFillipo and Fred Petrie have agreed to allow the Arts Center committee to begin operations for a preliminary three month period rent-free, beginning October 1.

"We felt it would provide a service to the city, and add something in terms of attractiveness for young people. We enjoy it ourselves," said Fred Petrie.

The group hopes that this initial effort will be successful enough that a more permanent agreement for the future can be created.

The gallery will strive to exhibit the highest quality artwork, and to showcase artists primarily from the region including northeast Iowa, southwest Wisconsin and Southeast Minnesota.

The support of the arts can help generate a stronger local economy as well.

"Communities such as Lanesboro, Minnesota, and Mineral Point, Wisconsin, prove that the arts can really boost a small town economy," noted McGregor-Marquette Chamber director, Sasha Dull.

"Those towns have strengthened and grown with their galleries, theatre companies and arts organizations. There’s no reason that can’t happen here," Dull added.

No doubt the plans for the Arts Center are ambitious, and the Arts Center Committee expects that reaching their goals will be a slow process.

But they are getting started. The gallery will open Saturday, October 4 at 9:30 a.m., in conjunction with the first weekend of the Fall Arts and Crafts Festival in downtown McGregor. "Having spent most of my life as an educator, I believe the arts greatly increase the quality of life for individuals. They bring people together for positive and enriching experiences and create bridges between segregate groups and individuals," noted Harpers Ferry artist and committee member Marilyn Etchison. "One of the difficulties in getting an arts center started In such a low density population area, is creating enough interest in the community to sustain an arts center," she added.

"Once our doors are open, we want to invite everyone to come check out the Arts Center, see the gallery, or take a class. We are open to suggestions about what people want to see happen there in the future," she explained.

(Editor’s note: Trudy Balcom is a principal member of the McGregor-Marquette Arts Center committee)

Recall petition filed

A petition has been filed at City Hall for the recall of Prairie du Chien District 1 council member Becky Hackett. As of Tuesday noon, no other petitions had been filed, although the group opposed to the roundabouts, We The People, had earlier filed to begin the recall process for council members Linda Munson, Kathleen Hein, Sharon Boylen and Joe Ruskey as well. Those petitions could come in later, however.

City Clerk Barb Elvert said that Hackett has until Sept. 22 to challenge the petition, and, as city clerk, Elvert has 31 days, until Oct. 13, to certify it. Elvert was still waiting for answers from the state, but believed that if the petition is unchallenged and certified, council would have no choice but to call a special election. That election, she said, could be as soon as the Nov. 4 general election, but would more likely be later, perhaps as late as Nov. 25.

Elvert said if the petition is certified, the next step for the opposing group would be to circulate and file nomination papers.

At Tuesday evening’s council meeting, council members spoke in support of Hackett. Karen Solomon asked, "Are we going to have this every time there’s an unpopular decision?" She said the majority of the council members did not make the original decision for the roundabouts, but were told at the last meeting that cancelling the roundabout contract is against state statute. She added, "It seems the only way out is to break the law and please the people. This is a poor way to handle disagreement over something already decided."

Mayor Karl Steiner also spoke against the recall, saying he knew how it felt, since he had been recalled during his prior term in office.

Hackett read a statement objecting to her recall and defending her position as a person dedicated to the city’s welfare. In it, she stated: "I believe this recall petition to remove me from office questions my personal character, honesty and integrity. It goes to the very core of my personal standards. I have held fast to these standards. I know that I have been fair, honest and loyal to the people that I represent. I adamantly disagree with this petition that states that I have personally failed to represent the people of the district. Every time I fulfill my obligations to you in the most honest way I can."

County asking for mapping of Tainter Creek flood plain

Pam Ritchie, former PDRI director, has taken a position as executive director of Opportunity Center in Prairie du Chien.