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Countersuit filed in River
Bluff case
The defendants in a suit brought by River Bluffs Inc., the developer
of the proposed golf course waterpark hotel and housing development near
McGregor, have filed a counter claim. Harlan Dettman, Gregory Koether,
Ronald Kleinow and Tim Mason filed a countersuit in Clayton County last
Tuesday in response to the suit filed on December 3 by River Bluffs. The
defendants consider the River Bluffs case to be a SLAPP suit - SLAPP
stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation. The
defendants, organized as the Concerned Citizens of Clayton County, are
particularly offended because their original suit was against Clayton
County, not against River Bluffs. In October, 2003, the Dettman, Kleinow,
Koether and Mason filed suit against the Clayton County Board of
Supervisors claiming that some of the actions the Board took in
approving an agreement with River Bluffs was illegal. That suit was
dismissed in court in September, but the group has appealed to the Iowa
Supreme Court. River Bluffs suit claims that this appeal is illegally
blocking their development efforts, since they cannot begin construction
until the legal matter with the county is settled. The Concerned
Citizens countersuit claims that River Bluffs is simply trying to
intimidate them into foregoing their legal rights as citizens to
petition the government. The suit claims that River Bluffs has engaged
in a pattern of intimidation, since it previously threatened to sue
Clayton County for $3 million if they would not allow the development to
proceed. According to the petition, "the Plaintiff's prosecution...is a
malicious...because this action was instigated by the Plaintiff with
malice and without probable cause..." The case will not appear in court
until sometime next year.
Main Street: The path to revitalizing downtown
A number of city officials and business leaders spent Thursday and
Friday of last week evaluating and planning for better downtown Prairie
du Chien. Mayor Cheryl Mader, city councilwoman Luanne Neumann, Villa
Louis historic site director Michael Douglass, city planner Garth Frable,
community leader Fred Huebsch and a number of downtown business owners
were among the group of people that took time out to meet with
representatives from Wisconsin's Main Street program for downtown
revitalization. The day and a half of meetings and tours was part of the
application process - the pre- application visit - for the Main Street
program. Main Street is a program developed by the National Trust for
Historic Preservation to save historic downtowns in cities across the
country. It is based upon the preservation, rehabilitation and adaptive
re-use of historic structures as a basis for economic revitalization.
The program was started in Wisconsin in 1987 and 35 towns and cities,
large and small have participated in the program. Nearby Viroqua has
been in the program since 1989. Main Street is not a funding mechanism.
The program does not provide dollars for downtown rehabilitation. What
it does provide is structure and professional support on a long-term
basis to assist downtowns. The value of these services can add up to as
much as $125,000. Jim Engle, bureau director and the statewide Main
Street coordinator was in Prairie du Chien with his assistant Todd
Barman for the pre-application site visit. During their visit they held
seven meetings, toured the downtown and the Villa Louis and held a
public informational hearing last Thursday evening to introduce the Main
Street program. Prairie du Chien plans to submit an application to
Wisconsin Main Street in February of next year. Engle was impressed with
what he saw in Prairie ‹ the downtown buildings, the potential, the
people. "I think they are right on target," Engle said of the
organizers. "They are very well organized and this is something they
want to do," he added.
City proceeds 'asbestos' it can in Fort Crawford Hotel renovation
project
The much-delayed and anticipated Fort Crawford Hotel renovation
project has taken a big step forward now that it appears that the
removal of asbestos from the hotel will soon be done. "I think it's
going to be such a big step to get the asbestos done," said Prairie du
Chien city planner Garth Frable, who noted that the city will open bids
for the asbestos removal on Monday, Dec. 20. Frable said that the goal
is to then have the City Council approve a bid at its Dec. 21 meeting.
Upon approval of a bid, Frable said that the asbestos removal is
scheduled to start on Monday, Jan. 3, 2005, and finish on Wednesday,
Jan. 12. Once the asbestos is removed, Frable said that the city should
be "in a good position" concerning the removal of lead. "Our goal is to
move very quickly on the removal of lead also," said Frable, who noted,
however, that the removal of lead may be trickier than that of asbestos.
Asbestos is mostly found around pipes, while lead is found in historical
windows and in paint on other historical parts of the building. Should
the lead be stripped on site, or should pieces of the building be
removed, dipped, stripped and then returned to their place in the
building? "I think it's a big step for the city," said Dale Klemme of
Community Development of Prairie du Chien. "It (the asbestos removal)
will take us part way there." Klemme has said in the past that the
preferred developer, Crawford Preservation Group, has been waiting
patiently in high anticipation of getting started on the hotel
renovation project, comparing the process to a race horse in a starting
gate that has heretofore steadfastly remained closed. Now, with the
impending removal of asbestos, the gate may be at least partially
swinging open. It was originally thought that if all went well,
renovation of the hotel could begin in June of 2003 and be completed by
May of 2004. That notion was swept aside, however, when the city of
Prairie du Chien, which owns the building, did not receive approval of a
Wisconsin Department of Commerce grant until November of 2003. The grant
will pay for 75 percent of the asbestos and lead removal costs up to
$212,000. The total costs of asbestos and lead removal has been
estimated to be $283,430. Asbestos and lead removal are the city's
responsibility and Crawford Preservation Group, headed by Mark Ihm of
Platteville, cannot begin restoration until all asbestos and lead are
removed, at which time the title to the building can be transferred. The
title to the former City Hall building has previously been transferred
to Crawford Preservation Group. Further delaying the project was the
fact that upon receiving the Department of Commerce grant, the city had
to get together with the state concerning all of the federal and state
laws and regulations that apply when removing asbestos and lead from a
historical building such as the former hotel. Now that all of the
legalities and regulations have finally been figured out so as to
preserve the historical integrity of the building, the removal of
asbestos and lead can begin. "I hope it (the renovation of the Fort
Crawford Hotel) spurs the downtown renovation," said Garth Frable, in
explaining that the historical period look of the renovated hotel could
be a first step, which will hopefully make other downtown business
owners think about what they can do to make the downtown more appealing.
Klemme has said that the anticipated cost is estimated to be $1.3
million for renovating the hotel building and the former City Hall. The
scope of the project has remained unchanged throughout the delay, he
said. The plan 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. The hotel would be restored so as to have a "turn-of-the-century"
look and feel. Patrons of the Crawford will experience 19th century
character amid 21st century amenities, including an upscale restaurant
and pub, pastry and sandwich shop, outdoor cafe and fitness center,
proclaim promotional materials. Steeped in the history of Prairie du
Chien, The Crawford will blend early and contemporary comforts in rooms
featuring plush period furnishings, large pedestal beds, wet bars with
microwave and refrigerator, and executive work space. Many suites will
offer additional luxury with whirlpool hot tubs and king size beds.
Guests of the Crawford will be able to enjoy services such as room
service from the hotel dining room, continental breakfast and turndown.
Both the former City Hall and the old hotel building are on the State
and National Register of Historic Places, which allows a 25 percent tax
credit for bonafide restoration. A tax credit of $350,000 is anticipated
for the project. The Crawford Preservation Group has worked with
architect Arlan Kay of Architecture Network, Inc. of Madison and
preliminary floor plans have been drawn up. Klemme has pointed out in
the past that once the hotel renovation is completed, the property will
have an estimated tax base of $1 million, which means that the city
stands to gain approximately $28,000 per year in annual property taxes
at a site that currently is generating nothing. Ihm, who was designated
as the preferred developer by the City Council in May of 2001, owns and
has renovated several downtown buildings in Southwestern Wisconsin
communities. Ihm is president of the State Historic Preservation
Commission, is a member of the Board of the Point of Beginnings, is
president of Building Platteville. Now that the asbestos removal is on
the near horizon, the figurative starting gate to renovation appears to
be inching open so that work can begin in earnest for Prairie du Chien
to once again have a grand hotel at the corner of Prairie Street and
Blackhawk Avenue. |
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