Top Stories October 21st

Space Needs Study Completed

10/21/08 - The Beaver Dam Common Council heard the final report on the citywide facilities study ordered earlier this year. The report places the space needs of the police department as the number one priority in the city. Marty Sell with MSA Professionals say the recommendation is expansion of the current facility, with a twist. The police department would move to the side of the building where the administrative offices are currently housed, and expand into the parking lot, doubling in size. Conversely, administration would move to where the police department is currently located. The second priority is the Community Services and Senior Center, either a new building on a new site or the renovation of an existing building on a new site. The third priority is a 10,000 square foot expansion of the library. The fourth priority, considered a long term issue, is the establishment of a satellite facility for the fire department to keep up with city growth. The report does not recommend a location, nor does it suggest whether the city should build new or purchase existing property. The fifth priority is the relocation of the Department of Public Works and Park Shop facility to the site of the Wastewater Treatment Plant, along with the construction of new buildings.

Downtown Redevelopment Moves Forward

10/21/08 - The Beaver Dam Common Council last night approved the proposed terms related to the redevelopment of the former Thomas Chevrolet property. Silverstone Partners of Middleton is proposing a 60-unit, multi-story independent senior living center, they are calling Madison Place. CEO Tom Sather says there are still a number of hurdles to clear before the $7 million dollar project becomes a reality, especially the awarding of state tax credits, which he says there is a better than 50% chance of securing. Alderman Clancy Knaup questioned whether a $90,000 city grant should be used for this project. The money comes from a fund that was designated for low-income housing projects as part of the recent Spring Isle settlement with landlord Pete Knaup. Clancy Knaup said there should be a process in place before handing out the money. Beaver Dam Area Development Corporation President Trent Campbell says they tailor incentives to each individual project and projects like this require increased creativity in investment.

If all goes according to plan, ground could be broken next summer with completion in mid-2010. The completed project would add $2.1 million of taxable property value to the city’s tax rolls. The vote was 12 to 1 with Knaup voting “no.” The council only approved the proposed terms last night, the specific terms of a developers agreement will be considered at a later date.

Process Begins in Creation of BD TIF #6

10/21/08 - The Beaver Dam Common Council approved the hiring of MSA Professional Services to assist in the creation of Tax Increment Finance District #6. Last night’s action was the first step in a lengthy approval process for creating the TIF in the downtown redevelopment area. Plans call for combining the proposed developer-funded district with the current TIF #3, which officials say has been very successful. There are currently only two active TIF Districts in Beaver Dam.

Storm Water Utility Established – Rates Set

10/21/08 - The Beaver Dam Common Council last night approved an ordinance establishing a storm water utility. The utility is a funding mechanism that sets aside dedicated revenue for dealing with storm water problems, like drainage, flooding and erosion controls and will bring the city in compliance with state and federal discharge mandates. The ordinance approved last night also established an annual rate for city utility customers of $48.61. Starting in March, residents will see a $12.15 increase on their utility bill.


More Break-Ins in Dodge County

10/21/08 - Dodge County authorities are investigating three more breaking and entering, including two on Highway 33 in the Town of Hubbard. An owner of a home in the 3500 block of Highway 33 reported that someone had been in her home in the last hour and had taken entertainment electronic equipment. A second breaking and entering, this time in the 4300 block of Highway 33, was reported just before 3:30. There a window was pried open and money taken. The village of Reeseville was the site of another reported break-in. According to Sheriff’s Department records, the owner of a home on South Main Street reported that while he and his kids were gone for the night someone broke the kitchen window and stole an ipod and some money. The break-in’s comes on the heels of a number of business break-ins in the town of Beaver Dam late last month.

’09 Budget to be Unveiled Tonight

10/21/08 - Dodge County Board of Supervisors Chairman Russ Kottke is expected to present the 2009 budget at the boards monthly meeting tonight. It’s expected the 2009 tax levy will increase by no more than 2% over last year’s total of $120-million. The board is also scheduled to act on a resolution that will form a Child Death Review Team. The idea behind the team is to have a specialized group to review the deaths of children in the county to identify trends as well as put together prevention strategies to decrease the chances of further incidents. The team would be comprised of members of the Medical Examiner’s office, the Sheriff’s Department, the Human Services and Health Department as well as a number of other agencies. The board meets at 7:30 tonight in the Administration Building in Juneau.

Hunter Found Dead in Woods

10/21/08 - Fifty-five-year-old Richard Hafemeister of West Bend was looking for a deer he’d shot in a wooded area of the Town of Theresa Sunday night when he collapsed and died. Dodge County Sheriff’s officials say a friend of Hafemeister’s and EMS personnel provided CPR, but he did not respond. They got a call about the incident just before 8:30 Sunday evening. Hafemeister was hunting in an area off Highway 28. (KFIZ)

No Sign of Missing Milwaukee Woman

10/21/08 - A grave exhumed in Kenosha yesterday turned up no evidence that a missing Milwaukee woman was buried in it. Karren Kraemer of Oconomowoc wanted to know if the remains of her daughter, Becky Marzo, were buried in Eddie Davis’ grave. Her family believes the 23-year-old Marzo was killed by her boyfriend Carl Rodgers Junior almost five years ago. Rodgers apparently killed himself last year, and his uncle runs a Milwaukee funeral home which handled Davis’s burial. Kraemer said Marzo could have been buried in one of three graves in Kenosha in which Rodgers’ family handled the funerals. Another grave was exhumed two years ago, and there were no signs of Marzo. Kraemer is not sure where the third grave might be. Authorities will test the coffin and soil at Davis’s grave site to see if Marzo’s D-N-A turns up.

A look at the 53rd State Assembly Race

10/21/08 - Today we continue our look at area political races by checking in on the 53rd Assembly District, which includes the city of Waupun. There, Republican Richard Spanbauer and Democrat Jeff Mann are running to assume the seat left vacant by the retiring Carol Owens. Both candidates spoke about their experience being just one of the reason’s they should be elected. Spanbauer has served in local government for more than 30 years while Mann has been a defense attorney for the past 3 years. Our election coverage continues this afternoon on our Community Comment program when 6th District U.S. Congressman Tom Petri joins us.

Obama Cancels Madison Visit

10/21/08 - Democrat Barack Obama has canceled a rally in Madison on Thursday, so he can be with his ailing grandmother in Hawaii. His campaign said last night that 85-year-old Madelyn Dunham’s health has deteriorated to the point in which her situation is very serious. As a result, the Democratic presidential hopeful will cancel appearances Thursday and Friday. He’ll return to the campaign trail on Saturday. He was planning to spend Wednesday night in Madison before holding a noon rally at the State Capitol on Thursday. There’s no word yet if the Wisconsin visit will be re-scheduled. The election is two weeks from today.

Registered Voters Increase by 700 in Dodge County

10/21/08 - More than 700 Dodge County residents have registered to vote since the September primaries. That’s according to County Clerk Karen Gibson, who says there are now around 44,200 registered voters in the county up from about 43,500 early last month. Gibson and her staff have been pushing hard for people to get registered before Election Day in an attempt to avoid the long lines expected for unregistered voters.

Doyle Says Counties will be in Compliance

10/21/08 - Governor Jim Doyle has asked the federal E-P-A to declare six counties in compliance with its new, tougher air quality limits. He says Columbia, Waukesha, Dane and three other counties will all comply with the federal soot limits by the time they take effect in 2014. But the Sierra Club has its doubts. It says Doyle is playing a guessing game with the health of Wisconsinites. In August, the E-P-A said the six counties did not comply with new limits on un-healthy particles from things like smoke-stacks, wood stoves, vehicles, and road dust. As a result, new-and-expanding businesses are forced to install more expensive polluting-fighting equipment. Doyle says a host of new state-and-federal laws will put Wisconsin in compliance with the new soot limits – including the state mandate for utilities to cut mercury pollution by 90-percent.