may 20-22 2002

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May 22, 2002

OCR grants rehearing on Haydn RR Crossing closure
The Office of the Commissioner of Railroads (OCR) has ordered that the petition for a rehearing on the closure of the Haydn Street Railroad Crossing be issued.
A notice of the hearing date will be issued at a later date.
On April 10, the OCR issued a final decision to close the crossing. The OCR received a letter from residents and business owners Sharon Frazier and Keith Coburn on April 26 petitioning for a rehearing, and they received a another from the city of Prairie du Chien on April 29. The April 10 decision has been rescinded.
Among other things, both petitions assert that the commissioner had prejudged the matter before the hearing was conducted. In a written motion, the OCR stated, "In order to remove any cloud of bias, the commissioner has determined to grant the request for a rehearing. Evidence presented at the new hearing will be in addition to the evidence already in the record. In addition, the commissioner has determined that the hearing will be conducted by a new hearing examiner. Last, the commissioner had determined that he will not participate in the decision making process. The hearing examiner will issue the final decision."

The annual Memorial Day Parade
The marching units, on Memorial Day from 10:30 a.m., will proceed from the intersection of east Blackhawk Ave. and Michigan Street west to Beaumont Road and then south to the Ft. Crawford Military Cemetery. The annual Memorial Day program, at the Ft. Crawford Military Cemetery will begin at approximately 10:45 a.m. and will be as follows:
Invocation................... Fr. Sims, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Flag Raising Ceremony............................ Boy Scouts of America
Our National Anthem..................................... Prairie High Band
Pledge of Allegiance................................. Girl Scouts of America
Gettysburg Address............................................... Joe Delagrave
Take This Hand................................................. Kevin Wagner
Musical Selection............................................. Prairie High Band
In Flanders Fields........................................... Kari Lenzendorf
Memorial Day Address........................................ Phil Dagnon
Rifle Salute and Taps............... Prairie du Chien Honor Guard
Closing Prayer.................................................................. Fr. Sims
All parade units, including the bands, are requested to assemble at the F & M Bank parking lot on S. Michigan St. no later than 10:15 Monday.
In the event of inclement weather, the Memorial Day Program will be held at Bluff View School.
After the program at Ft. Crawford Military Cemetery, the Prairie du Chien Honor Guard will visit all cemeteries, and the Veterans' Memorials at the Court House and the VFW Veterans Memorial at the Old Rock School.Memorial Day 2002

Stolen Jefferson Davis plaque to be replaced
For about 70 years, a plaque honoring Jefferson Davis' time at Fort Crawford graced a large stone at the Military Cemetery in Prairie du Chien. Last year, just days following the Memorial Day Service, it was stolen.
Now, thanks to fundraising efforts by the Caya-Bunders Post #68 of the American Legion and community support, a replacement plaque will be dedicated this Memorial Day. This time though, the plaque has engraving on the back saying where it belongs and that it needs to be returned.
The Daughters of the Confederacy placed the original bronze plaque in 1931 to acknowledge the presence of Lt. Jefferson Davis who served at Fort Crawford in 1831.

Four alternatives will be looked at to clear up Marquette Rd. traffic problems
The La Crosse office of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and the consultant team led by CH2M HILL, have chosen to further investigate four alternatives after studying long-range options for improving travel and safety on US 18/Marquette Road.
The Highway 18 corridor study began in 1999 and concluded in 2000 with a report titled 'The Prairie du Chien Area Transportation Study.'
The present engineering and environmental study phase is a follow-up to this planning work and will continue until late summer of this year when plans for an alternative will be decided upon.
The study area begins at the intersection of Highways 18 and 60 in Bridgeport and extends northwesterly about 8 miles to the County K/Highway 35 intersection north of Prairie du Chien.
The objective of the study is to produce an engineering concept plan that can serve as a community blueprint for future development decisions, including preserving the land needed for future transportation improvements.
Sections of Highway 18 currently carry up to 18,000 vehicles per day and it is anticipated volumes will grow to over 32,000 vehicles per day by the year 2030. Ten to 12 percent of this traffic is trucks. The high traffic volumes combined with the percentage of trucks add to congestion and safety problems during peak periods in the heart of Prairie du Chien.
Study Update
Since the January public information meeting, the study team has continued to evaluate and refine the alternatives based on community input, comments from state and federal review agencies, and engineering and environmental criteria. The alternatives have been identified for further study and those recommended for elimination from further consideration.
Additional field investigations to search for possible archaeological sites will be conducted this spring and summer. Some work may be required on private property.
After reviewing input from the public, the study team will finalize the alternatives which will be evaluated in detail in the project's environmental document. Coordination with state and federal review agencies will continue. When the environmental document has been completed, it will be made available for public review and comment and a public hearing will be held.
The study will conclude with a selected alternative, final environmental document, and an engineering concept plan illustrating the proposed improvements.
Once the final document is approved by Wis DOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the project will be eligible for future state/federal funding, and the project can proceed to the engineering design phase.
There will be additional opportunities for the public to keep informed about the study and provide input. In addition to the public information meeting, there will be more newsletters and periodic update articles in the Courier Press.
Interested persons may also contact the CH2M HILL study team by calling the toll-free project number 1-877-860-2426 anytime between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The following alternatives for Highway 18 in Prairie du Chien were recommended for elimination from further consideration:
Main Street Alternative (Railroad Alignment)
The alignment for this alternative would cross the southeast corner of the Prairie du Chien municipal airport. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations prohibit release of airport property for highway improvements. As a result, two options to avoid impacts to the airport property were evaluated. These included a tunnel under the runway and an alignment on the south side of the Wisconsin Southern Railroad. After evaluating both of those options, WisDOT determined that the cost of a tunnel or additional railroad crossings would outweigh the benefits that this alternative would provide.
Main Street Alternative (North Airport Alignment)
The alternative would be constructed on a new alignment and would displace one business as well as one residence. This alternative has no transportation advantages that outweigh its displacement impacts.
Marquette Road Alternative - Two Way Left Turn Lane or Median Barrier
This alternative would either add a two-way left turn lane or a median barrier to the existing highway. Widening the existing roadway to accommodate the left turn lane would require 86 feet of right-of-way and would displace about 30 buildings. This alternative is recommended for elimination from further consideration because the impacts would outweigh the benefits that this alternative would provide.
Bluff Alternative
This alternative would construct a new roadway along the base of the bluff on the city's east side from a point near WalMart to Frederick Street. The entire roadway would be on new alignment and would require local connectors to facilitate traffic movement between the east and west sides of the city. It would require about 32 acres of new right-of-way and would displace 19 residences. Although the Bluff alternative would divert about 2,900 vehicles per day from existing US 18, it would not provide the same level of system linkage and route continuity as the Main Street alternatives. This alternative is recommended for elimination from further consideration because the impacts would outweigh the benefits that this alternative would provide.
One way Pair Alternatives
Three one-way pair alternatives were considered:
1. Dousman Street (northbound) and Marquette Road (southbound)
2. Ohio Street (northbound) and Marquette Road (southbound)
3. New roadway (southbound) along the east side of the railroad tracks and Marquette Road (northbound)
Portions of the Dousman and Ohio legs would use new alignment and would displace 13 homes and one business on Ohio Street and 10 homes on Dousman Street. The Dousman and Ohio alignments would also route high traffic volumes past the high school, hospital and several churches.
The new alignment east of the railroad tracks would displace 15 homes and 7 businesses.
The One-Way Pair Alternatives would divert half of the traffic from Marquette Road and would substantially change the existing residential character of the neighborhoods adjacent to the one-way pair. These impacts would outweigh the benefits that this alternative would provide.
Hwy 18 alternatives which are no longer being considered

May 20, 2002

McGregor declares "Mae Day"
Mae Huebsch will celebrate her 100th birthday this June. McGregor has declared May 25 as "Mae Day" in her honor. to honor 100th birthday of citizen
Saturday, May 25, has been declared "Mae Day" in McGregor, in honor of the 100th birthday of one of the cities outstanding citizens, Mae Huebsch. Abbie Mae Heath, the eldest of three girls and two boys, was born on June 29, 1902, near Ft. Dodge, Iowa. "I was a farm girl. I did everything on the farm and was my father's buddy," said Mae. "I drove the horses while Dad picked corn by hand. We rode the horse and buggy the five miles into town and back." "I loved to fish the Shell Rock River. It was so clear you could see the fish take the hook. I used to wade the river while wearing my dress. I would hold it up so not to get it wet." After graduating from the University of Iowa in 1924, Mae and her husband, Fred, whom she met at the university, moved to Villa Park, Illinois, where she taught sixth grade and her husband worked for the Chicago Daily News. She rode the bus, and Fred rode the 'el' to work. In 1928, Fred's father, who owned the North Iowa Times, died, so Fred and Mae packed up and moved to McGregor, where Fred took over the newspaper. Mae worked hand-in-hand with her husband at the paper until Fred passed away in 1958. The Huebsch's reared two sons, Tony, now living in Cedar Rapids, and Fred, Jr., who lives in Prairie du Chien. Mae has lived 74 years in the same house. She remembers when McGregor had five grocery stores, two men's stores, three dry goods stores, with women's ready-to-wear, two drug stores, two banks and two pool halls. "The pool hall was just a hang-out," Mae said, "as this was during prohibition." "The town has changed," said Mae. "There are not many businesses anymore, other than tourism." Mae remembers the first highway bridge across the Mississippi to Prairie du Chien. "It was a toll bridge and cost $1.50 to cross. That was a lot of money in those days. When the bridge became free, away went the business across the river," she added. Mae recalls the excursion boats. "Each one had an orchestra, and we would dance all night," said Mae. Mae has been a member of the McGregor Library Board for 50 years, and volunteered at the McGregor Museum for 25 years. She likes to tell the story of a visitor she had during her time as a volunteer at the museum. "I remember I was on my hands and knees, scrubbing the kitchen floor, when there was a knock at my door. The man at the door was a descendent of the Ringling Brothers, who were born in McGregor. He ran a lumber business in Seattle, Washington, and was passing through on the Delta Queen. We spent two hours in the museum, and the next week I received a check from him for $100 for the museum." "I love the people and scenery in McGregor. They are concerned about each other." Mae attends church every Sunday, but quit driving at age 90. "Too many grain trucks," she said. Mae's closing comment was, "I refuse to get old!"

Rider, Fisher top Seneca Class of '02
Ashley Rider has been named valedictorian of Seneca High School's Class of 2002 and Hannah Fisher was named salutatorian. Rider is the daughter of Dennis and Lillian Rider of Ferryville. She is a member of National Honor Society and has served her class as President, Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer. She has participated in basketball and volleyball, been elected Team Captain and selected for All-Conference awards. She has been active in S-Club, choir and solo-ensemble contest for four years. She is a member of her church choir and youth group. Rider has been accepted at UW-Stevens Point and will major in Athletic Training. Fisher is the daughter of Donnie and Mona Fisher of Eastman. Her high school activities have included S.H.A.R.E., volleyball, basketball, track and field, school play, band, choir, yearbook, S-club, class treasurer and forensics. She is a member of National Honor Society and represented Seneca at Badger Girl's State. Fisher plans to attend college at UW-Platteville.

Sewing seeds and quilts, PdC senior growing strong
An energetic Prairie du Chien woman is truly a master gardener and quilt maker. Veronica Thomas, 96 years young and going strong, has been gardening for about 90 years and has been making beautiful quilts for more than 60 years. Already this season, Thomas has yielded 5-foot-high cherry tomato plants outside her home at Prairie Health Care Center. "They should be ripe by late May or early June," said Thomas, who tends to her small garden everyday, even in temperatures in the low 40s. Along with tomatoes, Thomas, who learned gardening from her mother on their rural Eastman farm, also raises pepper plants and pickles. Thomas started her garden using seeds. When she is done gardening for the day, Thomas often spends hours tending to the health care center lawn, picking weeds and dandelions by hand until her large sack is full. The bounty of Thomas' gardening over decades has helped feed many, including her parents and 10 siblings, as well as her husband, the late George Thomas and their nine children. Veronica certainly has done a vast amount of canning in her lifetime. Things weren't always as easy as they are now, Thomas said, noting that in the early years of her life, there was no electricity or running water, not to mention farm machinery. The house was lighted with kerosene lamps and there were no modern sewing machines with which to create the beautiful patchwork quilts made by most rural women during the early 1900s. "We sure made a lot of them," said Thomas, who still creates four to five colorful quilts each winter. Last year, Thomas created a Christmas quilt for her son Terry Thomas of Prairie du Chien. She also made a quilt for her roommate at the health care center. In the early days, Thomas made her quilts with the use of a loom, which was operated by pushing a pedal with both feet. Now of course, she has a nice sewing machine. The large quilts keep those who use them toasty warm. Her quilts have always been popular and Thomas said that when she would create a quilt years ago, everyone in the area would want one just like it. Along with gardening and quilting, Thomas continues to push the health care center staff to take her morel hunting, said Prairie Health Care Thomas' itinerary of gardening, weeding, quilting, hopefully mushroom hunting, and going to Mass at St. John's every Sunday helps keep her life full. "That's enough!" she said, in noting that she needs no other hobbies.