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Going, going, gone The sale of the Satter Building by Crawford County is moving forward and, in fact, is nearly complete. Mary Lausted of ERA Paramount Realty of Prairie du Chien said that the closing date is Dec. 29 and that Tom Gialamas will be buying the property for $350,000 on a land contract basis. Gialamas will pay $100,000 down and $50,000 per year for the remainder of the contract, said Lausted. Gialamas intends to demolish the Satter Building and create an office park on the property. "He is a man of his word and he has done some wonderful things for Prairie du Chien," said Lausted, who cited the Blackhawk Junction Mall, which is owned and being renovated by Gialamas. The board voted unanimously to approve the sale. Bill Howe, who spoke on behalf of the Fort Crawford Museum, said that he and others interested in the Fort Crawford Museum would be interested in meeting with Gialamas in order to discuss the possibility of saving a remnant of a building and another small building on the Satter Building property for historic preservation and for museum use. The Satter Building property has no historic designation and several studies have shown that the Satter Building itself is not feasible to repair, but Lausted said that a meeting with Gialamas can be arranged to discuss the possible preservation of the remnants to which Howe referred. In other business, the board voted 14-2 to approve the sale of beer at the next Crawford County Fair. Supervisors Ken Rocksvold and Gary Knickerbocker voted against the sale of beer. Four area women associated with 4-H spoke adamantly against selling beer at the fair. The four said that they wanted the fair to continue to be safe for families and especially children. Two-thirds of the county fairs in Wisconsin serve beer. Several supervisors said that they should try it (selling beer) at the Crawford County Fair and, if problems arise, they could 'pull the plug' on the idea. In further business, the board: ´Heard a presentation by Karen Knock about designating her as the county's humane officer. Knock said that she would do the job without pay, except for schooling, tools, supplies and gas mileage. 'I feel this is needed and many citizens also feel this is needed,' said Knock, who is a horse rancher and a member of the Board of Directors of La Riviere Horse Park. Knock circulated two photos of mistreated dogs and noted that the position would mainly be about dogs and cats. The board voted unanimously to implement an ordinance it had made in 2005 to have two veterinarians in the county serve as humane officers. ´Approved a motion to continue to pursue a comprehensive plan for Crawford County so as to have the plan ready by the year 2010. ´Approved a motion to pursue a settlement of a lawsuit brought against the county by P.A. McGuire of Highland. P.A. McGuire was the general contractor for the new administrative offices building. The lawsuit involves approximately $75,000 in disputed construction costs. ´Approved removing Main Street from the Soldiers Grove Local Road and Street System and adding it to the County Trunk Highway System as a part of County Highway C. City Council ties up loose ends in preparation for 2007 here In a flurry of end-of-the-year housecleaning, Prairie du Chien City council last night acted on several items which needed attention before the new year, including sewer fees and the agreement with the Department of Transportation for highway improvements along Marquette Road. After considerable discussion, council approved an amended sanitary sewer ordinance. The ordinance increases fees from $2.40 to $2.58 per 100 cubic feet of sewage, and also increases the service charge from $25 to $30 for city residents. Fees for Bridgeport and the town of Prairie du Chien were also increased. Council member Brad Steiner was the first to question the original proposal, stating that he didn't agree with an ordinance which charged city residents higher fees than residents of Bridgeport, which uses Prairie du Chien's sanitary sewer treatment plant. Several other council members expressed their agreement. Waste Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Terry Meyer explained that the Bridgeport fee was lower because Prairie du Chien has no operational or maintenance costs associated with the Bridgeport sewer system, and that their waste is mostly domestic. The township of Prairie du Chien, which is billed at a higher rate than Bridgeport, has more industrial waste.Meyer also pointed out that the new rate is about the same percentage increase as that for city residents. In addition, said Meyer, the city currently has a contract with Bridgeport for sewer services, and he was not sure if fees could be increased further during the term of the contract. Meyer also explained the reason for the increase: there are many large sewer projects coming up in the next several years, and he is trying to set money aside for these projects while continuing routine maintenance projects. Council member Hein supported the increase, stating, 'If we don't start putting money away we will have to borrow, and that won't be using the taxpayers' money effectively.' Steiner made a motion to amend the contract so that rates for Bridgeport and Prairie du Chien residents were equal. The motion was approved, subject to examination by the city attorney to determine if the existing contract with Bridgeport would preclude the change. Council also approved agreements with the Department of Transportation providing funding for improvements along Marquette Road. The agreements had been tabled from an earlier meeting until it was determined that changes could still be made to the design of the project. City Administrator Gordon Gallagher reported that the agreement merely sets up the funding responsibilityÐ75 percent from state and federal funds and 25 percent from local funds. Design aspects can be changed. The question arose during a discussion of the proposed roundabout at the intersection of Blackhawk and Marquette. That has been a controversial issue, and council wanted to maintain the option to amend that plan. In other business council: ´Approved the rezoning of a lot at 331 North Marquette Road from I-2, industrial manufacturing, to B-1, retail/commercial use. The garage at that location is to be torn down and replaced with another building. ´Approved vacation of an alley east of Commerce Court Mall. ´Approved the 2007 salary ordinance with the stipulation that the position of parks and recreation director continue as full time until 30 days after a director for Hoffman Hall is hired, approximately April 1. At that time the position would become part time. ´Approved the payout or transfer of unused vacation, sick time and health insurance for city employees involved in the transition to the new joint city/county dispatch center, effective Jan. 2, 2007. ´Approved the city's employee health insurance plan. Gallagher explained that employees will share more of the cost burden than before, but the city's costs are still going up. ´Approved a contract amendment with Ayers Associates for additional clean up work at the Quality Woods site. ´Approved the filing of applications for financial assistance from the state for environmental clean up at the Quality Woods site and for improvements to sewer and water the length of Blackhawk and on adjacent streets. Acceptance of these applications does not commit the city to using the money, but clears the way to borrowing money at a low interest rate should it be needed. ´Approved purchase of the Mule Shed and Wolf Machine property as part of the continuing redevelopment of Block 43, the block along Marquette Road between Blackhawk and Haydn.
Retail portion of Fort Crawford Hotel project underway Construction began on the Fort Crawford Hotel restoration project about six weeks ago, and crews have been working around the clock in recent weeks to get Phase I (the retail portion) of the project completed. "We've had a big effort in the last two weeks," said Developer Mark Ihm of Ihm Traditional Builders of Platteville. Ihm has been living in Prairie du Chien in recent weeks while working on and guiding the project. He noted that 14 pieces of glass from La Crosse Glass arrived Dec. 14 and will be installed Dec. 18 as the store front windows. "I would like to see it (the retail portion) ready by March 1," said Ihm, who noted that the retail portion is available for rent or lease by anyone who wants to run a business in the 2,000-square-foot area. The retail portion of the project is being constructed in the former City Hall. Reclaimed barn timbers have been used in the renovation of the front doors and reclaimed house joists from an old house in Platteville helped provide the correct dimensions for the window sashes. Siding, which was put up in 1975 on the former City Hall, is being used as part of the ceiling above the main entrance to the retail area. Some stones were replaced in the front foundation of the entry way. Some original fabric from 1894 is also being used in the entry way. That fabric, which had been covered up in 1975, gave Ihm the correct dimensions for the creation of similar fabric for the facade. "I learn a lot by ïreading' my building," Ihm said. Ihm said that immediately prior to the Main Street Program annual meeting in February, an informational gathering will be held inside the retail portion. The annual meeting will then be held in Kaber's Restaurant just down the street. Following completion of the retail portion, construction will begin on Phase II, which will be the lobby, bar and restaurant area. Phase III will be the elevator and Phase IV will be the hotel rooms. "We're hoping we can move right into the second phase," said Ihm. "We don't want any down time." The plan for the Fort Crawford Hotel project is to combine the former City Hall and the old hotel building into one building that would feature 18 hotel rooms and a manager's apartment, an upscale restaurant and pub and a retail area. The Fort Crawford Hotel building was placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings a few years ago and the intent is to renovate it so as to preserve its historic integrity. It is hoped that the renovation of the Fort Crawford Hotel will lead the way to the establishment of an historic district in downtown Prairie du Chien. Design and Preservation guidelines ready for review A draft of guidelines for the city's Design and Preservation Commission has been completed, with an anticipated goal of presenting a final draft to City Council by the end of February. The city already has a Design and Preservation ordinance which stipulates that proposed changes to historic property have to be reviewed by the city's Design and Preservation Commission. However, that ordinance is difficult to enforce for two reasons. First, there are presently no guidelines to help determine whether or not a specific plan would maintain the historic character of a property. In addition, a property has to be designated as historic, and currently there is no clear-cut process for doing that. The draft of guidelines, then, is an important step. Once a set of guidelines is approved by the Commission and the City Council, any remodeling done on an historic building, or new construction within a designated historic district, would have to come before the Commission for review. The Commission then would make a recommendation to City Council for final action. For the second step, designating buildings or property as historic, plans are to approach the owners of such property and ask if they would like that property to be designated as historic. Once a group of historic buildings has been identified, said Garth Frable, chief author of the proposed guidelines, people should realize it is not that difficult a process. Frable said it was important to realize that "we don't want guidelines that prevent improvements; we want guidelines that improve a facility and preserve its historic character." Indeed, the introduction to the guidelines state that the purpose is to assist owners, tenants as well as architects and others employed by the owners to "maintain, preserve and enhance" the historic character of their properties. The guidelines are organized as a series of related sections addressing items such as windows and doors, roofs, foundations, walls, landscaping, porches, energy conservation, handicap access, additions, steps and new construction. For each area addressed there is a section devoted to advice on how to maintain, repair or replace elements and materials without compromising the character of the building, landscape or district. In addition, appropriate substitute materials are also discussed. The benefits of having a set of guidelines in place, apart from the aesthetic aspect, are listed as: ´Planning and neighborhood protection. Historic designation is an important planning tool for the city, a way to improve the quality of life, and a means to protect neighborhoods from unmanaged change. ´Public participation. Because the review process involves public comment, citizens are given a voice in development affecting their neighborhoods. ´Federal protection and tax incentives. Federal law protects historic properties from adverse federal government action. In addition, substantial rehabilitation of income producing property may qualify for significant tax benefits. Thus far, several owners of historic properties have voluntarily brought their building or remodeling plans before the Commission for suggestions and assistance. These properties include the old City Hall, the Collins building, and the property now owned by The Pickett Fence. The Commission plans to review and revise the guidelines in January and have them ready for presentation to Council at the second meeting in February. Community Christmas Dinner to be served at St. Gabriel's School A free community Christmas dinner is once again being served for Prairie du Chien area residents. The meal is being served at noon at St. Gabriel's School cafeteria, 515 N. Beaumont Road. The idea for the community dinner was born about 20 years ago, according to Diane Koth. At the time, Koth was working with a community support program for the county, and one of her clients informed her he had saved his social security money to have a nice Christmas meal, only to discover that no restaurants were open on Christmas Day. Koth felt something had to be done about that, and the community dinner was started. Although Koth and Judge Michael Kirchman are the only original members of the organizers, a core group of volunteers from United Methodist and Citizens Concerned about Hunger, there are many other people who make the dinner a success, chiefly area churches and clergy who donate food and time. The Opportunity Center volunteers a vehicle to provide transportation for people who need it, including equipment for wheelchairs. Koth and Debbie Morovits are co-chairs of the event. The dinner is funded in part by donations from the community ecumenical service at Thanksgiving time. Free will donations will also be accepted at the dinner. Typically 350-400 people are served. The family style meal of turkey and ham, potatoes and gravy, corn, salad and cranberry sauce will be topped off by slices of homemade pie. Carry-outs and delivery for the homebound in the Prairie du Chien area are also available. To make reservations, call United Methodist Church mornings at 326-8321 or Memorial Hospital from 1-7 p.m. at 357-2000, ext. 2218 by Friday, Dec. 23. Anyone wishing to help at the event is asked to call Judge Kirchman Monday through Friday at the courthouse, 326-0205.
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