Top Stories February 3rd and 4th

Layoffs At Kirsh Foundry

3/4/09 - Kirsh Foundry in Beaver Dam has laid-off 37 employees in recent weeks. Chairman Jim Kirsh says the cuts span supervisory and hourly workers and also include wage and benefits reductions for existing employees. Kirsh says they went from two shifts down to one and moved the first shift into the evening hours to save on electric costs. He says they hope to bring people back as the economy picks up, but notes it could be a while because his industry would be the last to see the benefits of an upswing in the economy.

Running On Fumes

3/4/09 - Wisconsin's once-promising ethanol industry seems to be in the tank, at least for now. The state's largest ethanol plant in Jefferson has filed for bankruptcy and plans for at least a half-dozen others have been shelved. Paul Zimmermann of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau says it's another sign of the troubled economy. Zimmermann says many ethanol plants have had difficulty turning a profit. Lower demand and dropping prices for oil are also seen as a major factor. Zimmermann does expect a turnaround. He says we're going to have an increased need for renewable energy and ethanol will be a big part of that in Wisconsin.

Koehn Retirement Approved

3/4/09 - Beaver Dam’s Acting Fire Chief has laid the groundwork to retire, again. The Police and Fire Commission last night accepted Randy Koehn’s retirement. Koehn says after 31 years in a stable and rewarding career the time has come. He had planned on retiring last year, but the abrupt departure of former Fire Chief George Sheets changed those plans as Koehn once again stepped into the interim role. Koehn’s last day with the department is May 1, one month after the new fire chief is expected to begin work.

Packers “Tailgate Tour” Coming to Beaver Dam

3/4/09 - The Green Bay Packers annual “Tailgate Tour” will make a stop in Beaver Dam this year. The team announced the schedule for the tour yesterday and Beaver Dam will be its last stop on May 14th. Scheduled to be in attendance are Team President and CEO Mark Murphy, Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins, wide receiver Jordy Nelson, and starting linebacker Brady Poppinga. During the day the tour will make one scheduled stop where team representatives will mingle with fans and say “thanks.” Culminating the day’s activities, there will be a tailgate party held at the Beaver Dam High School from 6 to 8:30. The party will feature food and mingling with the Packer representatives as well as a chance to win autographed footballs signed by each tour member. Tickets for the tailgate go on sale March 16th and will cost $25. The tour serves as a fund-raiser for local charitable groups, and in our area the Beaver Dam Scholarship Foundation will receive 100% of the proceeds from the day’s events.

Knaup Discloses Subsidy Figures

3/4/09 - The Beaver Dam Administrative Committee this week received an update on last year’s Spring Isle settlement with landlord Pete Knaup. The lawsuit involved the repayment of federal Housing and Urban Development money related to a partnership between the city and Knaup in the late 1980’s, when the landlord used $2 million in low-and-moderate income housing grant funds to construct the Spring Isle apartments. The city administered the funds but Knaup was supposed to pay half back to the city. As part of last year’s agreement, Knaup must pay the city $4500 annually in cash and provide a minimum of $6500 in subsidies to low-and-moderate income tenants. As of last month, Knaup made the 2009 cash payment and has also provided a total of $22,700 in subsidies, well above the mandated $6500. If he were to fail to meet the terms of the agreement, Knaup would have to make two balloon payments to the city totaling nearly one million dollars. As long as he is in compliance, the deadline for those payments will be extended indefinitely.

Accused Snowmobile Deer Killers in Court

3/4/09 - A “not guilty" plea has been entered by one of the two brothers accused of using their snowmobiles to run down and kill deer in Waupaca County. Robby Kuenzi of Weyauwega entered the plea Tuesday. His brother, Rory, previously entered the same plea. The third man charged in the incident, Nicholas Hermes, hasn't entered a plea yet. The men face several felony charges in connection with the January incident. The dead animals were found near a snowmobile trail just south of Waupaca January 10. Game wardens say what they describe as "thrill killings of wildlife" are unprecedented.

Kampen Charged With Drinking and Driving Injuries

3/4/09 - A 30-year-old Burnett man has been charged in connection with a one-vehicle accident in January that resulted in injuries to his passenger. Chadwick M. Kampen lost control of his pick-up truck on North Crystal Lake Road in the Town of Beaver Dam, entered the ditch and struck a utility pole. His 25-year-old passenger sustained minor injuries. Kampen, whose blood alcohol level was reported to be (point) .29, has two previous convictions for Operating While Intoxicated. He is charged with Causing Injury While Operating Under the Influence, with a Prohibited Alcohol Content and Operating After Revocation. Kampen faces up to one year and fines of up to $2000, if convicted.

Unclaimed Property Tour in Dodge- Jefferson County

3/4/09 - The State Treasurer’s Department is looking to connect Dodge and Jefferson County residents with money or other items they didn’t even know they had coming to them. The Unclaimed Property Outreach Tour is in Beaver Dam and Watertown Wednesday afternoon. State Treasurer Dawn Marie Sass says their database shows more than 20,000 Dodge and Jefferson County residents with unclaimed property totaling nearly $3 million dollars. Sass says typical items include the contents of safety deposit boxes, insurance premiums, along with forgotten paychecks, refund and rebate checks. The tour will be in the Beaver Dam Public Library from 12-1pm this afternoon and at the Watertown Public Library from 2:30-3:30pm.

DC Board Exec Committee Looks to Keep Prayer Part of Meetings

3/3/09 - If it was left up to the Dodge County Board Executive Committee a prayer would continue to be said at the beginning of some of their full-board meetings. That much was clear after the committee unanimously approved a motion that allows for their corporation counsel to put together a resolution that will set the parameters for those prayers. The motion came after a majority of the 14-speakers at yesterdays meeting spoke in favor of keeping the bi-monthly prayer as part of the agenda. A number of them spoke about the Christian principles they felt the country was built on, while others talked about the guiding effect prayer can have while supervisors are making important decisions. Not everyone of the close to 60 people in attendance were in favor of the prayer, with one woman quoting scripture that was intended to show that praying was between a person and their god and didn’t need to be done in the public eye. The entire issue of prayer at meetings came to light early last month after supervisor filed a complaint with the Freedom from Religion Foundation that claimed the prayer was unconstitutional because it concentrated on one specific religion. It’s expected the resolution regarding prayer will be presented to the Executive Committee at next month’s meeting with the possibility of it going to the full-county board for approval in the middle of April. Supervisor Eugene Wurtz also submitted a separate resolution to the County Clerks office that would allow for a non-sectarian prayer to be performed by rotating religious officials. That resolution is expected to be brought before the full-board on March 17th. Like last month, a moment of silence is expected to be held at the beginning of that meeting.

Jefferson Elementary Now on Cuts List in Waupun

3/3/09 - What was once a recommendation to close two elementary schools in the Waupun School District has now turned into a proposal to close a third. That was the message from administrators to a packed high school auditorium at a meeting last night. District Administrator Randy Refsland says after seeing that more than 70-kids applied for open enrollment in other districts it became clear to officials that they may be able to operate the district in just three buildings. In response, Jefferson Elementary has joined Fox Lake and Alto Elementary as schools administrators recommend closing at the end of this school year. That would leave Washington Elementary to house kindergarten through 2nd grade students, the middle school to handle grades 3rd through 6th, and the high school seeing grades seven through twelve. Closing the three elementary schools would save the district an estimated $945,000 but would still leave them with a deficit of more than $300,000 for the 2009-2010 school year. Nearly $530,000 in cut-backs were listed on the second draft of cuts released to the public, but a final recommendation from administrators will not be made until later this week. The district is being forced to close the schools in response to the deficit as a result of three failed referenda questions last month on top of other failed referendums over the past few years. Action on the administrators recommendations are expected at the boards next meeting on the 16th of this month.

Downtown Redevelopment Plan Hits Snag

3/3/09 - The city of Beaver Dam’s downtown redevelopment plan has hit a snag. Mayor Tom Kennedy says the city has been getting conflicting answers from the Department of Commerce regarding the need to develop a “relocation plan” for those businesses that are targeted for acquisition and demolition. Kennedy says the latest word from the Commerce Department – as of late Monday afternoon -- is that the city will need to have a plan in place. The common council last night tabled a motion to hire a Minneapolis firm at a cost of $15,000 to conduct the relocation study - a process that typically takes around three months – until a more definitive answer is available. Alderman expressed concern that until the matter is clarified, the closing on the properties is in question as is the amount of money that will need to be borrowed, especially if the city will have to pay more money to property owners to relocate. Closing on nine of the eleven properties targeted for demolition is March 31, but Kennedy indicates that could possibly be delayed. The mayor says he and the city attorney will work to get a definitive answer as soon as possible. If the council were to have to vote on funding for a relocation study, it would have to be soon, possibly in special session as early as next Monday.

City Borrowing Plan Outlined

3/3/09 - The Beaver Dam Common Council heard a presentation last night on their borrowing plan for the redevelopment project, as well the purchase of a new ambulance. The city currently plans to borrow $1.6 million dollars for the new Tax Increment Finance District #6 and related downtown redevelopments plans, as well as $140,000 for the ambulance. Carol Wirth with Wisconsin Finance Professionals told the council that the property owners will see two and a half cents added to the debt service of the tax levy for the ambulance. TIF #6, though, will be paid for with excess revenue generated from TIF #3 until the year 2014. After that the city will either have to generate money from development in the new TIF, pay for the redevelopment borrowing with grant funding or, as a worst-case scenario, pass the costs onto taxpayers. The council will consider the sale of the notes at their meeting in two weeks and the money could be made available by the end of the month. However, the recent snag with the Commerce Department could hold up the process.

BD Alderman in Hospital

3/3/09 - Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Kennedy asked city officials at the onset of last night’s meeting to keep Alderman Howard Abel in their thoughts and prayers. The Fourth Ward Alderman suffered a heart attack last Thursday and is expected to undergo surgery today.

BDUSD School Board Discuss Class Size; Academic Reports

3/3/09 - New Beaver Dam School Board Members were brought up to speed last night on results from the Second Quarter Academic Report and information on District class sizes. Superintendent Don Childs explained results from reading and math tests stating that an achievement performance drop in 6th through 10th grade students is one area that seems to be the norm. The Board also discussed class sizes in District schools. The Board was told class sizes varied from 15 to 26 students due to neighborhood student population differences and State and Federal funds available for student instruction.