Top Stories, October 26th

Council Approves $2.5 Million In Bids for New PD

10/26/10 - In an effort to get exterior work done before the winter weather sets in, the Beaver Dam Common Council met in special session last night to approve a series of bids related to the new police station. In lieu of a general contractor, the city opted to use their architect – MSA Professional Services – to act as a “project manager.” The move is projected to save around $200,000 but it also means that the city council has to approve all bids individually. Marty Sell with MSA Professional Services says last night’s bids represent half the total cost of the $5.1 million dollar facility. The bids, which were approved unanimously, cover the shell of the building; everything from masonry and roofing to electrical and plumbing. The approval will allow the new contractors to get to work on the thirty thousand square foot police station and municipal court as early as next week. The concrete foundation and footings for the east wall are already up and the north wall could be in place as early as today. Sell says because of the economy, this round of bids came in about $400,000 lower than they would have during a busier construction period.

Clearview On Budget and On Schedule

10/26/10 - The overhaul at the Clearview Long term Care and Rehabilitation facility is progressing as planned. The new $44.5 million structure in Juneau broke ground at the beginning of July, and Administrator Jane Hooper says they are on budget and nearly on schedule, with only the wet conditions earlier this summer having an impact on their timeline. Hooper says they have 85-percent of the bids for the project in and are hoping to be completed with the outside portion of construction before winter. She went on to say that current residents are getting excited about moving into the new facility and are even giving their two-cents on how the construction is going. The plan still calls for the first residents to move to the facility by the beginning of the summer next year. Clearview serves the county’s aging population as well as those with behavioral and mental health issues and also has one of only three brain injury rehabilitation centers in the state.

Northeast Asphalt Business Break-In

10/26/10 - Authorities are investigating a break-in at a town of Beaver Dam business that was reported yesterday morning. Dodge County Sheriff’s Department received reports from Northeast Asphalt on Prospect Road that a window had been smashed and a laptop and computer monitor was missing. Officials say some other smaller items were taken as well. Sheriff Todd Nehls says it’s a difficult area to patrol. It was the second break-in at the business this month. On October 4, a caller reported that windows had been smashed, a door was open, and tool boxes had been rummaged through. Officials say it’s too early to determine whether to the two break-ins are related.

Fitzgerald Faces Opposition

10/26/10 - Incumbent State Senator Scott Fitzgerald says significant reforms need to be made to reign in spending. The Juneau Republican is currently the minority leader in the State Senate and is seeking a fifth term in office. Fitzgerald says the Department of Commerce and the Department of Workforce Development have (quote) “run off the tracks and need to be retooled if not eliminated and brought back in a different form.” His Democratic challenger, Dwayne Block of Oconomowoc, says under former Republican Governor Tommy Thompson the state was left with a $3.2 billion dollar deficit and that was during an economic boom. Block says the state needs a “visionary and a builder” to jumpstart the economy and he touts his record as a builder of the state teachers organization and various political groups. Independent candidate Vic Spadaro is also on the ballot for District 13 State Senator.

Kallas, Petri on Community Comment

10/26/10 - The candidates for the Sixth Congressional District will be our guest on WBEV’s Community Comment in the next two days. This afternoon we sit down with Democrat Joe Kallas, a Green Lake County resident and teacher at Fox Lake Correctional Institution. On tomorrow’s program we will talk to incumbent Republican Tom Petri of Fond du Lac, who is seeking his 16th term in Washington representing the district. Community Comment airs weekdays on 1430AM beginning at 12:35pm.