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Prairie du Chien students to get their kicks Soccer will be a sport at local high school Prairie du Chien High School students will soon be attempting to "Bend it like Beckham," a popular reference to British soccer hero David Beckham, who recently signed a multi-million dollar contract to play in the United States. They may never reach the level of Beckham, but Prairie du Chien students will have the opportunity to participate in soccer beginning in the 2007-08 school year. Boys and girls soccer is coming to Blackhawk Country. Jim Rohde, the outgoing president of the Prairie du Chien Youth Soccer Program, and Ron Sedgwick, the high school athletic director and assistant principal, gave a presentation to the school board Monday night about the soccer program. The board then voted 6-1 to have soccer at Prairie du Chien High School. Board member Ron Goodman cast the lone dissenting vote. The Prairie du Chien Soccer program will be run at no cost to the district as a WIAA sport. The soccer program will be run on a two-year trial basis. Following the first two years, the program will be reevaluated by the district as to the number or participants, feasibility, and other considerations. Boys soccer will begin in the fall and girls soccer will be a spring sport. Southwest Wisconsin Conference schools that have boys and girls soccer teams include Dodgeville-Mineral Point, Richland Center, Platteville and River Valley. There has been WIAA sanctioned soccer in Wisconsin since the 1982-83 school year. Soccer would be played on Saturdays and will probably be played on the high school football field so that tickets can be taken and money earned at the concession stand. Sedgwick and Rhode told board members that there is an $8,000 grant that will be used in the establishment of the soccer program. High school soccer is a relatively low-cost sport, and Rohde and Sedgwick noted that the soccer program at Prairie du Chien could be run for between $3,500 and $7,000 per year. There is a strong volunteer base for soccer in Prairie du Chien and costs for the high school program may be reduced if coaching is done on a volunteer basis, players pay for their own uniforms, and vans are utilized for transportation. Costs may be reduced further through the implementation of a 20:20:10 program in which soccer players help out local businesses in order to raise money for the soccer program. In other business, another issue came before the board concerning athletics. It had apparently been previously determined that the springboard mat that is used for high school gymnastics is to be removed from the Bluff View gymnasium by Jan. 29 following the team's last home meet. At the meeting Monday night, gymnastics coach Debbie Kozelka said that she would like the springboard to stay in place until Feb. 29. Kozelka also pointed out that next year springboard mats will be mandatory for gymnastics and that Prairie du Chien is in line to host the conference meet next year. Two district physical education instructors, Torey Bartels and Doug Rogers, told the board that the extended stay of the 40x40 foot springboard mat in the Bluff View gym infringes upon their phy. ed. classes, especially when the two instructors are already forced to split what remains of the gymnasium numerous times per week for their two separate classes. The two instructors said that they don't have enough room to properly teach certain units in their curriculum, especially when there are about 60 students in the gym at one time. Bartels gave the board members several different alternatives to look at in order to help alleviate the situation. High School Principal Andy Banasik, Bluff View Principal Joan Wick, Athletic Director Ron Sedgwick and others will continue to try to find ways to help make the situation better and to make sure that the gymnasiums and other such facilities in all buildings are being utilized in the most effective and efficient manner possible. In further business, the board: “Voted to reduce the least-seniored art teacher in the district to a 50 percent position. “Voted to approve Adrienne Schnieder to become the B.A. Kennedy Principal fulltime. In addition, Schneider will be the Special Education Director for the district, the SAGE Director and the Title I Director. Schneider had previously been the B.A. Kennedy Principal and the Bluff View Assistant Principal, as well as the Special Ed. Director. “Voted to raise several school fees for the 2007-08 school year. “Was informed that Jamie Marie Wagar and Tina Ruskey have filed declarations of candidacy for the spring election to the school board. Board members Ron Goodman and Russ Gillitzer will not be seeking re-election, thus leaving two vacant seats on the board. “Accepted the resignation of Cory Koenig as assistant varsity football coach and head track coach, effective Jan. 15. Proposal to host Half Marathon gets go-ahead from Prairie du Chien City Council A proposal to host a Half Marathon of 13.1 miles this spring was given the green light by Prairie du Chien City Council last night. Linda Hansen, one of the authors, appeared before the council to explain the proposal. Tentative date for the event is Saturday, May 5. Hansen said she felt it would be a great event for the city and would attract both athletes and their families: "This is a previously untapped market for our area, and we have much to offer for racers and spectators." The timing, she said, is good, because the Boston Marathon is in the middle of April, and there are there are a number of marathons the end of May, but there is little in between. Although she said there was no way of predicting how many people would register for the event, Hansen said she would guess there would be several hundred the first year, with more in subsequent years. Hansen also said she had made contacts with vendors, racers, coaches, city officials, law enforcement and promotional organizations, and although nothing has been formalized, the feedback has been positive. She would like the event to start and end on St. Feriole Island. By doing that, she said, "we'd highlight the beauty of the island." Tentative plans include a Friday registration, course talk with a marathon training coach and a pasta dinner. Saturday's schedule would include a 7:30 a.m. start and awards ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Other possibilities include kids' races, a fitness expo and post-race entertainment. The course has not yet been determined, and will need the cooperation of the police and parks departments, but Hansen said she would like to avoid crossing Marquette Road. Contact has already been made with a company to provide accurate chip-timing, on-line registration and a database of all participants. That same company would design, set up and manage the start and finish line and chip collection areas, as well as provide a digital clock display and a supervisor to manage the finish line and train volunteers. Hansen anticipated that about 100 volunteers would be needed to assist with such things as managing traffic and passing out beverages for the runners. Each participant would receive a Prairie du Chien Half-Marathon T-shirt. Each finisher would receive a medal, and first, second and third place finishers would receive either a special medal or a trophy. Country Inn and Suites, for which Hansen is the sales coordinator, has agreed to sponsor part of the event. Hansen also plans to apply for a Ready-Set-Go grant, designed for first-time competitive athletic events that will attract tourism. Also present on behalf of the proposal were committee members Gretchen Kilbey and Mark Johnson. Council took another significant action in approving a Hoffman Hall Director job description and authorizing the posting of the position. However, the funding of the position and a city residency requirement were debated. Frank Pintz, Jr., the lone dissenter on the council, asked where the funds would come from and stated he could not justify the cost. Councilmember Phil Dagnon perhaps summed up the position of the rest of the council when he stated: "The facility has to be properly marketed and made viable. We can either embellish it and make it work or shut it down. I think we have a duty to properly market it and make it go." After some discussion about whether the new director should be required to live within the city limits, council decided that a "strong suggestion" that the director live in the city would be the best course of action. In other business, council: “Approved a new transient merchant ordinance which would replace archaic definitions and reduce the license fees. The aim of the ordinance, said City Attorney Tom Peterson, "is to make sure people coming in to town are reputable." It would mainly cover door-to-door salespeople. A fee of $50 was set to cover the costs of background checks by the police department, and the license will be good for a period of 45 days. Police Chief Mike King said the cost of the search is mainly employee time. Since the purpose of the ordinance is to protect residents from dishonest salespeople, Councilmember Ruskey suggested that residents ask door-to-door salespeople to show a license, and to contact the police if they are operating without a license (the ordinance does not apply to salespeople or companies which have regular customers, such as Schwanns). “Clarified that a city provision which allows employees who opt for single rather than family coverage to receive $250 a month compensation also applies to the police department. “Authorized the City Administrator to negotiate a purchase option on a property in the city's industrial park. Both Prairie Industries and River Town Ironworks are seeking expansion space. If the city purchases the property it could be resold to them at a discounted price based on the businesses providing additional tax base and adding a certain number of jobs. City Administrator Gordon Gallagher anticipated that expansion at the two sites could generate over 50 new jobs. "The purchase plan," he said "is in keeping with our continued interest in building a tax base and creating continuing employment opportunities for our residents."
Steiner reflects on 22 years as city councilman After 22 years of serving on the Prairie du Chien City Council, Brad Steiner has decided it's time to quitŠat least for now. He has decided not to seek re-election this spring. Steiner began his service on the council in the fall of 1985 as an appointee, filling the seat vacated in the Fourth Ward by the death of Jim Cherrier. Lloyd Caya, a childhood friend who was a councilman at the time, encouraged him to serve. Steiner had never thought about it. "I'd been in a lot of things relating to community service," he said. "I thought I'd give it a try. If I didn't like it the term was up in a year." He talked to then-mayor Jim Bittner, was appointed to fill out the rest of Cherrier's term, and has been on the council ever since. "I take a lot of pride in what the council has a accomplished in those 22 years," he said. Steiner said the city's infrastructure was falling apart when he began. Since then there has been a new city hall, new police department, an upgraded water system and a completely revamped wastewater treatment plant. One of the more controversial actions during that time, he said, was the purchase of Hoffman Hall, and, because of the cost of repairs and improvements needed, it will continue to be controversial. "We spent $350,000 for it," he said, "we can't just abandon it." The purchase, he said, was a good deal: "What would an indoor olympic-sized swimming pool cost today?" A study committee has recommended that the building be repaired and operate as a full time recreational facility. The council will be making decisions on that later this year. Steiner is optimistic about the city's future: "Downtown was dying when Wal-Mart came in." He said the first two attempts to revive downtown failed for lack of support. The current effort, he believes, with the Downtown Revitalization group, the Main Street designation and a full time downtown director, "has gone about right." Downtown buildings are being restored, Blair Dillman is planning to restore and open the hotel on the island, and even the gambling boat across the river has been good for Prairie, Steiner believes, since it brings people to the city. That, plus the river and the scenery of the area, should make it a magnet for visitors. "The spotlight is on Prairie du Chien, he said, "we'll see a real resurgence." Nonetheless, he thinks the next few years may be tough. Improvements don't come cheap, and there are some big expenses coming, including a new bypass and the rebuilding of Marquette Road. "It will be three or four years before we can solve our financial problems," Steiner concluded. "We'll eventually bring a lot of money to the city," he said, "but for now the tax burden falls on the property owner." Steiner's biggest disappointment over the years is the loss of Garth Frable as city planner and zoning administrator. "He's driven everything that's happened here," Steiner said. "His salary has been returned to us a hundred-fold." Steiner thinks the next few years will be a very busy time for the council. He said he has had as many as nine meetings a week for various committees, and he expects the tempo will not decrease in the near future. In reflecting on his service, Steiner notes that serving on the council is often an unappreciated job. "Too often," he said, "the people holler about what dissatisfies them, but never talk about what we do well. People want their taxes reduced, but don't want to see any services cut. They compare us to the people across the river; but they have lower taxes because of the gambling." He also noted that, when all is said and done, council has very little control over taxes. Only 28 percent goes to the city, and "when wages, health care and bills are paid, there's maybe one percent we can actually change." He believes the city is doing a great job. "We have cut wherever we can." Steiner said in the past 22 years, he has been on every committee except personnel, and has chaired those committees at some point. He has also been president of city council for at least 10 years. With his free time, Steiner said, "for one thing, I'm going to get to reknow my wife." He plans to remain on the fire department where, in combination with his time in EMS, he has spent a total of 33 years. Steiner, who was born and raised in the Fourth Ward and still lives there, concluded: "I've been honored to serve the people of Prairie du Chien and the Fourth Ward." As for the future, he adds, "I don't know; I may get the itch to get back on council again." Artifacts to be displayed As part of the year-long celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Mississippi Valley Archeology Center (MVAC) at the University of La Crosse, there will be several public talks and field opportunities, including a presentation Jan. 27 at the Fort Crawford Museum in Prairie du Chien. The presentation will be conducted by Vicki Twinde-Javner of the MVAC beginning at 1:30 p.m. Within the past eight years, the MVAC has worked on various projects in the Prairie du Chien area including the excavation of the Second Fort Crawford and the identification of a series of archeological sites along the proposed Highway 18 alignment changes. Twinde-Javner said that she is excited about the projects in Prairie du Chien and was in town on Jan. 11 doing research in the Register of Deeds office and looking up probate records as well as looking at microfilm of old newspapers in the Public Library pertaining to an archeological site south of Lockwood Street and west of Beaumont Road. The site was excavated in July and August of 2006 and Twinde-Javner said that her presentation will focus on archeology in general, the archeological purpose of the project, the history of Prairie du Chien, and what was found at the site and other excavation information. She will have several artifacts from the site on display. "We are still analyzing and researching artifacts from the site," said Twinde-Javner, who noted that she also is in the process of writing an archeological report about the site for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as required for the proposed Highway 18 realignment. The artifacts were taken from two mid-19th Century foundations and include dated medicine bottles from the 1850s, a whiskey flask, broken bottles, a large amount of historic ceramics, window glass, clay smoking pipe fragments, square nails, a bridle bit, a sleigh bell, a variety of miscellaneous metal artifacts, and a large amount of animal bone of both wild and domesticated animals. Twinde-Javner said that the site has the potential for being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The excavation at the site west of Beaumont Road and South of Lockwood Street was the first of four archeological digs that will be conducted in preparation for the expansion of South Main Street as a truck route. The expansion of South Main Street is expected to begin in the year 2010 and the four large-scale excavations are being conducted over the next two to three years so that those areas can be surveyed and artifacts recovered before the road construction begins and those sites are blacktopped over. In addition to the continued digs for Cannons and Redcoats each year and the four digs in preparation for the South Main Street construction, Twinde-Javner said that the Fort Crawford Museum and the MVAC are considering small-scale excavations open to the public in the spring, summer and possibly the fall of 2007. Dates for these educational digs have not been set yet, but people wishing more information can contact Sharon Martin at (608) 326-8045 or Vicki Twinde-Javner at the MVAC at (608) 785-6475. Interested persons may also write to Mississippi Valley Archeological Center at UW-La Crosse, 1725 State Street, La Crosse, WI, 54601. Twinde-Javner, who has been on the MVAC staff since 1999, was the head of the Second Fort Crawford excavations along Beaumont Road in 1999. She majored in archeology at UW-La Crosse and her masters in anthropology at UW-Milwaukee. Founded in 1982, MVAC has been involved in researching, preserving and teaching about archeological resources in the Upper Mississippi River region for the past quarter century. More information about MVAC's 25th Anniversary celebration and their public events can be found by calling (608) 785-8463 or by accessing their website at www.uwlax.edu/MVAC/. Collector cars were 'just passing through' Phil's Auto Body was host to some very important guests last week: three very pricey collector's cars on their way to auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. Two of the cars were there to be inspected by Galen Govier of Galen's Tag Service. Phil Ohlert, a car enthusiast and owner of his own collector car, provided the staging area at his auto body shop. Govier had been asked by the owners of the two vehicles, a 1970 lime green Plymouth Hemi 'cuda and a red 1971 Plymouth six barrel 'cuda, to inspect and document the cars. Since it was inconvenient for Govier to travel to Mass., where the owners lived, they arranged to have them brought to Prairie du Chien for inspection on the way to Arizona. Govier said it takes about two hours to completely check and document each car for originality and accuracy. The 1970 vehicle is one of 652 cars of that model built, and Gover said it is extremely rare to find one in such good condition, with only 9,000 original miles on it. Govier estimates it should sell for anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000, and it is headed for the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale. This week-long event, said Ohlert, is the world's largest collector car auction. The 1971 vehicle is going to a different auction in the same area. |
