6/10/09 - The city of Beaver Dam has been awarded $3.7 million dollars for their downtown demolition project. The governor yesterday announced $39 million dollars in Community Development Block Grant funds and Beaver Dam got more than any other city with nearly 10% of the funds announced. Mayor Tom Kennedy says the money will cover virtually all of the costs associated with the venture, including the purchase and demolition of ten buildings, removal of the culverts in the Tower Parking lot, façade improvements to the front and back of 14 affected businesses as well as some funding for the Weyco project. Phase two of the plan involved $1 million for beautification, treating of the exposed brick and bridge installation in the Tower Parking lot. It was originally slated for next year but Kennedy says the grant announcement will allow some of those phase two projects to be completed this year. The city has committed $800,000 for the project.
Weyco Closing Date Extended
6/10/09 - The closing date for the sale of the former Weyco Shoe Factory property will be extended. Wisconsin Redevelopment is seeking renovate the structure into loft-style apartments and exercised its option to purchase the building from the city after previously paying a non-refundable $5000 fee. The Beaver Dam Community Development Committee last night approved an extension with Wisconsin Redevelopment paying another $5000 to push the closing date back to August 31. Wisconsin Redevelopment Vice President Todd Hutchison says his business has cleared the biggest hurdle – the securing of low-income WHEDA tax credits – but the economic downturn has presented new hurdles. With the government take-over of Fannie May and Freddie Mac, Hutchison says there no one to sell the tax credits to. Under the terms of the agreement, the developers are required to incur $1 million dollars in construction costs by December 31, 2010 or they must forfeit $250,000. Hutchison says he really wants to work with the city, but he can’t afford to risk pushing that kind of deadline. The common council must still sign-off on the closing date extension. Preliminary plans call for the top three floors of the structure at 222 Madison Street to be converted into 33 loft-style apartments at approximately 2000-square feet with two or three bedrooms, two full baths, living room, dining room, full kitchen and lake view balconies. The ground floor would be used for parking of up to 50 vehicles.
Downtown Demolition Continues
6/10/09 - Business owners in downtown Beaver Dam say they are open for business. Demolition efforts continue at the intersection of Front and Center and the streets are open for traffic, with the exception of the 100 block of South Center. One of the downtown proprietors told us though that business has been down and customers have been scarce with some customers saying they figured there would be no access to the businesses or no parking. That is not the case, though the businesses targeted for demolition are surrounded by fences and parking is restricted in the immediate area of those buildings. Demolition crews, meanwhile, continue to remove the rubble from the 100 block of Front Street. The top floor of the Celestial Building has been removed. Crews will continue to dismantle the structure by hand because it is surrounded by buildings that will not be coming down. They will also be working delicately to preserve the century-old concrete mason’s symbol on the face of the structure. The focus is now turning to the 200 block of Front Street. Culvert removal in the Tower Parking lot is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Rogers Out in Waupun
6/10/09 - Waupun City Administrator Gary Rogers will be leaving his post earlier than expected. After nearly eight years on the job Rogers recently took a similar position in Iowa and his last day in Waupun was set for June 26th. However, a motion by Alderman Michael Johnson to remove Rogers immediately passed on a 3 to 2 vote last night. Rogers had fallen out of favor with some business leaders in the community and was at the center of a recall effort of Mayor Jodi Steger because she wouldn’t remove him from office, something that she says is out of her control. Though the employment agreement has not been completed, Ed Madre has been tabbed to serve as the interim administrator until the city decides whether to continue with a city administrator form of government.Koehn Named New Fire Chief in Columbus
6/10/09 - The Police and Fire Commission has named the former Beaver Dam acting Fire Chief as the next Columbus Fire Chief. The PFC named Randy Koehn as the new Chief after a close 3 to 2 vote. Only two of the final four candidates received votes in the special open meeting yesterday afternoon. According to PFC President Ed Schellin the decision to select Kuehn over Columbus firefighter Scott Hazeltine was made as a move to “keep two good leaders in the department.” Kuehn said he feels like he is coming home since he was a former Columbus resident and Firefighter before his duties in Beaver Dam.FDL Cold Case Update
6/10/09 - Cold and getting colder; that's how Fond du LacCounty Sheriff Mick Fink characterizes a case involving the discovery of a young woman's body by deer hunters last fall. Yesterday Sheriff's investigators released a digitally reconstructed photo of the woman's face hoping the media can help them learn their Jane Doe's identity. Fink says without that identity their case grows colder and they can't take the next step in their investigation into the woman's death. Information on the woman and a composite photo of her face are available at the Sheriff's website fdlsheriff.com.
BD Middle School Fails One Objective of AYP
6/10/09 - The Beaver Dam Middle School is one of 147 schools statewide that missed at least one or more of the objectives for adequate yearly progress as outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act. The middle school was considered proficient in math, test participation and other academic indicators but they were not proficient in reading. Schools are identified for improvement if they don’t meet the same federal standard for two straight years. Schools on the list which get federal funds for teaching low-income students will face sanctions but that won’t affect the middle school in Beaver Dam as they are not Title I. State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster says those schools are not necessarily poor-performing. In some cases, she says the federal model makes it harder to meet certain standards, even if major progress is shown from the previous year. The four districts singled out for not making enough year-to-year progress are Milwaukee, Beloit, Manitowoc, and Kenosha.
Inmate Arraigned on Attempted Murder Charges
6/10/09 - An inmate at the Waupun Correctional Institution has entered a “not guilty” plea to charges that he attempted to murder a fellow prisoner over a handball game. Alfredo Vega could have 133 years added to his life-sentence if convicted of the three felony counts of Attempted Homicide, Reckless Injury and Aggravated Battery. Tensions had been brewing between the two following a disagreement as to whether a ball was in or out-of-bounds. It continued to escalate, with the victim reportedly taunting his attacker over a period of months saying things like “I own the court.” On February 9, Vega allegedly stabbed the 43-year-old inmate in the abdomen with a pair of scissors. The victim – apparently unaware of the stab wound - pulled his attackers sweater over his head and repeatedly punched him in the face until he was bloody and disoriented. Vega reportedly said, “I got him, he’s been threatening me for two months and I finally got him.” He later denied having a pair of scissors.
Competency Evaluation Ordered for Accused Sex Offender
6/10/09 - A competency evaluation has been ordered for a Fox Lake man accused of molesting a preteen girl. Jonathan Sparacio was in court for an arraignment hearing yesterday and his attorneys raised the competency issue. The 62-year-old is charged with a felony count of Child Enticement for a series of offenses that allegedly occurred in 2004. The mother of the victim legally recorded two conversations with Sparacio in which he admitted guilt but blamed the girl. He is being held in the Dodge County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond. A competency hearing is set for June 26.
6/10/09 - Cold and getting colder; that's how Fond du LacCounty Sheriff Mick Fink characterizes a case involving the discovery of a young woman's body by deer hunters last fall. Yesterday Sheriff's investigators released a digitally reconstructed photo of the woman's face hoping the media can help them learn their Jane Doe's identity. Fink says without that identity their case grows colder and they can't take the next step in their investigation into the woman's death. Information on the woman and a composite photo of her face are available at the Sheriff's website fdlsheriff.com.BD Middle School Fails One Objective of AYP
6/10/09 - The Beaver Dam Middle School is one of 147 schools statewide that missed at least one or more of the objectives for adequate yearly progress as outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act. The middle school was considered proficient in math, test participation and other academic indicators but they were not proficient in reading. Schools are identified for improvement if they don’t meet the same federal standard for two straight years. Schools on the list which get federal funds for teaching low-income students will face sanctions but that won’t affect the middle school in Beaver Dam as they are not Title I. State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster says those schools are not necessarily poor-performing. In some cases, she says the federal model makes it harder to meet certain standards, even if major progress is shown from the previous year. The four districts singled out for not making enough year-to-year progress are Milwaukee, Beloit, Manitowoc, and Kenosha.
Inmate Arraigned on Attempted Murder Charges
6/10/09 - An inmate at the Waupun Correctional Institution has entered a “not guilty” plea to charges that he attempted to murder a fellow prisoner over a handball game. Alfredo Vega could have 133 years added to his life-sentence if convicted of the three felony counts of Attempted Homicide, Reckless Injury and Aggravated Battery. Tensions had been brewing between the two following a disagreement as to whether a ball was in or out-of-bounds. It continued to escalate, with the victim reportedly taunting his attacker over a period of months saying things like “I own the court.” On February 9, Vega allegedly stabbed the 43-year-old inmate in the abdomen with a pair of scissors. The victim – apparently unaware of the stab wound - pulled his attackers sweater over his head and repeatedly punched him in the face until he was bloody and disoriented. Vega reportedly said, “I got him, he’s been threatening me for two months and I finally got him.” He later denied having a pair of scissors.
Competency Evaluation Ordered for Accused Sex Offender
6/10/09 - A competency evaluation has been ordered for a Fox Lake man accused of molesting a preteen girl. Jonathan Sparacio was in court for an arraignment hearing yesterday and his attorneys raised the competency issue. The 62-year-old is charged with a felony count of Child Enticement for a series of offenses that allegedly occurred in 2004. The mother of the victim legally recorded two conversations with Sparacio in which he admitted guilt but blamed the girl. He is being held in the Dodge County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond. A competency hearing is set for June 26.
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