EvilleAlderFred

Election Coming

2006-12-04T16:27:00.000-06:00

Now is the time for all citizens who would like to see changes in the way city government operates to volunteer to put themselves in a position to participate in making decisions regarding those operations. In other words, there's a city election coming up next April.

You can run for alderperson in your district. Four seats, one in each district, are available. Go to City Hall and ask the clerk for nomination papers, which must be returned by January 2, 2007. The terms of Tom Cothard, Dennis Wessels, Bill Hammann, and Diane Roberts expire in April. I have no idea whether any of the four will run for another 2-year term. But you can run, no matter what.

Of course, being an alderman isn't the only way to make a positive contribution to Evansville, and many citizens are serving on commissions, boards, committees, etc. Final decision-making authority rests with the City Council, though. Get yourself elected, and join the fun.

I'm Back

2006-11-13T07:58:00.000-06:00

A few days ago, I got a private email from a constituent asking me if I'd "dropped off the map". Well, yeah, I have, at least as far as this blog is concerned. It got to the point where doing my job as an alderman was taking so much time I didn't take time to report on it here. Perhaps I should have worked harder at it, but I didn't, and for those of you who missed my commentary, I'm sorry. I was really surprised to note that my last post was almost two months ago.

Here's what's been on my plate recently, in addition to "regular" alderman business:

a. working to get a group of interested citizens together to develop a program for putting the skate-park on the right path for 2007.
b. redesigning the city's website to make it easier for citizens to use; after the redesign is well in hand, we'll get it up-to-date in all aspects, and keep it up to date.
c. learning about the city's contracts with cell-phone and cable companies, in hopes of possibly improving the city's revenue stream from them, thus saving taxpayers money.
d. writing, together with other members of the board, the new 5-year plan for the Park and Recreation Board.
e. participating in extra Council meetings to complete the process of hiring a new City Administrator. (Hopefully, that's done now.) And other special council meetings relative to the new TIF districts, etc. Six special council meetings in the last six weeks!
f. spending two very valuable days attending presentations at a League of Wisconsin Municipalities conference; I got a number of new ideas which I'll be working on implementing, as it seems feasible for Evansville; one is related to c. above.

So I'm still here. What's above is still mostly work in progress, and some won't be completed for several months, or possibly longer. I hope the products of this work will benefit the city over the long haul. I'll make more of an effort to make timely reports on the blog as I see fit.

I'm always available to answer questions from residents. If you want to know something, send me a signed email, and I'll respond as soon as possible.

Economic Developments

2006-09-20T07:22:00.000-05:00

An increased spirit of cooperation between the City's Economic Development Committee and the Evansville Chamber of Commerce was evident at last night's regular meeting of EDC. John Morning and Becky Heimerl of CofC and EDC members talked of finding a way to create and fund a position tentatively to be known as Evanville Economic Development Coordinator.

James Otterstein, Rock County's Economic Development Manager, also attended the meeting and described how some other small municipalities in Rock County, particularly Milton and Clinton, are managing their economic development efforts.

In my view, in the past Evansville has not made a coordinated, sustained effort to develop and follow an economic development strategy, which could possibly consist of several components: (the following bullet points are copied from another source, are not my original ideas)
• Attract new basic employers (manufacturing, non-manufacturing, and non-local government offices). Efforts in this area tend to include the creation of promotional literature and web-based information, attending trade shows, participating in State promotional efforts and building infrastructure for new employers.
• Improve the efficiency of existing firms (the retention and expansion of existing firms). Strategies might include: Assisting with the procurement of job training funds, sponsoring business seminars, encouraging collaborations and industry clusters.
• Improve the ability to capture dollars. Strategies in this area would focus on retaining retirement income in the community, increasing the amount of purchases made locally, providing more services locally, etc.
• Encourage the formation of new businesses (Encouraging and assisting entrepreneurs to form businesses, which respond to the changing needs of the community. The formation of investment capital, revolving loan funds, creation of incubators, building shell spec buildings, and providing management assistance might assist these efforts)
• Increase aids received from broader government (A significant portion of a community’s income is composed of payments from things like the University, vocational schools, state & federal government, social security, veterans benefits, agricultural land conservation assistance, military contracts and installations, and aids for such things like schools, parks, streets, etc.). Grant writing and sponsoring federal procurement seminars might be approaches in this area.

John Morning passed around some email that related to an inquiry from a business that expressed interest in locating a new factory in the midwest near a casting facility (Baker Mfg has that capability.) The inquiry bounced around town a bit, but by the time someone called to respond to the inquiry, the business had found a home in Minnesota. The city has not really had a "go-to" person, who follows up on queries from business people interested in Evansville, actively seeks new business, makes grant applications, etc. I think it's likely that investing some money in such a position will pay off for the city in the long run. Other possible business opportunities will very probably emerge from the new bio-diesel facility and the expected TID #6, and we need someone who can seek out such opportunities and assist businesses who would might otherwise go elsewhere. I had a brief conversation with Senator Jon Erpenbach at the "bricks" ceremony yesterday; he thinks that, especially if the Landmark crushing plant comes through, more smaller businesses would be interested in locating near the Landmark facility. We need to be prepared to do as much as possible to make sure that no oportunities are missed.

EDC formally requested that CofC draw up a job description and a budget for a local "economic development coordinator" and to bring it to a future meeting of EDC to hash out. CofC agreed to do this, and the two groups will then try to figure out how to fund the position.

EDC didn't complete all the items on its agenda last night, because several members of EDC are also members of the Redevelopment Authority, which meets 90 minutes after EDC starts. Thus EDC has an artificial cut-off time, whether or not we're finished. Ald. Tony Wyse, Chair of EDC and member of RDA, would like to switch the meeting times, since RDA usually has reasonably short meetings. EDC members agree, & I hope the RDA members will also agree.

As EDC becomes more active, we clearly need more meeting time to complete our business. If this switch takes place, we'll have longer meetings, but I think we'll move forward faster. Because of the press of time, EDC will be having a special meeting to create its operating budget for 2007 this coming Wednesday night, September 27 at 6PM. That will be the only agenda item.

Almost $400K!

2006-09-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi presented Evansville Mayor Sandy Decker with a check for $398,800 at a ceremony at City Hall at 1PM today. The money will fund 80% of the Transportation Enhancements project commonly known hereabouts as "redoing Evansville's downtown Main St." In part, the money will go to digging up the old paving bricks below the current asphalt on Main St, reclaiming them, and repaving a section of Main St. with those historic bricks. This reclamation of Evansville's history wouldn't be possible without this extra money. In addition, benches, bicycle racks, a redesigned and rebuilt bridge over Allen Creek, plus more parking will be available on Main St. once the project is completed.

Long-time Evansville resident Dee Losey presented both Secretary Busalacchi and Mayor Decker with one of the old bricks that have already been dug up, each inscribed with the words "Evansville 2007", to commemorate this auspicious occasion. State Senator Jon Erpenbach, four members of the City Council, City Hall staff, reporters and Evansville residents witnessed the ceremony. IMHO, special thanks should go to John Decker, Chris Eager, & Jeff Farnsworth, who as citizen volunteers were instrumental in getting the application materials together and submitting the entire package under the City's auspices. I have probably forgotten to mention some other people important in the process, and I apologize for omissions.

The money actually comes from the Federal government, but is administered by the State DOT. Evansville's project is one of 28 approved projects around the state, totaling $9.8 million. Sec'y Busalacchi said that applications were received for about $60 million worth of projects around the state but, of course, not all were approved. Evansville's application ranked very high among those that were approved. Our grant was a bit larger than the average.

On the third floor of City Hall, you can see a preliminary plan of the project. Please take the time to go look at it, and if you have questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

Bricks, etc.

2006-09-18T09:07:00.000-05:00

Mayor Decker just informed me that Evansville has been awarded a large amount of grant $$$ from the state DOT to enhance the reconstruction of Main Street downtown. The project will occur in 2007. The enhancement grant will provide "extra" money to repave part of Main Street with bricks from a former era. Underneath the current asphalt surface are paving bricks that were covered over some 40-60 years ago (I've forgotten the details). The grant will allow contractors to uncover and reclaim many of those old bricks, then use them as the new Main St. paving. Other beautification enhancements will also be possible because of this grant.

The Secretary of DOT, Frank Busalacchi, will make the formal presentation at City Hall at 1PM.

More details will follow.

Deal Done

2006-09-11T19:41:00.000-05:00

The Skate Club delivered a cashier's check for $5,000.00 to Evansville City Hall at 8:30 am this morning, Sept 11, 2006, to complete the Club's agreement with the city.

Due Diligence

2006-09-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

#1. A week or so ago, I wrote a post about "What we don't know about bio-diesel." I got a private email back, which raised some questions about the environmental impact of the proposed facility. So I contacted North Prairie Productions' design engineer at Foth and Van Dyke with the questions, and he sent them on to NPP's vice-president, Jeff Pieterick, who could best answer for the company. I have received his reply. It is below, somewhat edited, not to change meaning, but just to take out extraneous material.
----------------------------
Mr. Juergens,

Thank you for the continuance of the community dialogue regarding the proposed North Prairie Productions biodiesel plant for Evansville......

“Dirty” Water
We have charged our engineers to arrive at methods to create as low an environmental footprint as possible. Included in this would be an effort to explore creative ways to use our discharge water. We are actively engaged in efforts right now to identify ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle water on site.

The discharge volume you quoted of 100 gpm is a number that was developed for our design basis, meaning that under highest-demand circumstances (dead of winter with all boilers going full steam to heat incoming railcars, two employees showering, 4 toilets flush at once, etc.) the pipes would be sized large enough to meet the need. The average flow is significantly less than this maximum value. The process water demand is a maximum of 100 gallons per hour (this is the water actually used to make biodiesel). Our engineers have been in contact with the managers of the Evansville water supply and treatment utilities with regards to their capacity to supply our water and treat our effluent. I would encourage you to contact them directly to discuss the increased demand from our facility in the context of their overall demand from all sources. (Fred's note: I have done so, and have been assured that capacity is not a problem.)

Landscaping
It would be irresponsible – and counter-productive – to engage the community in the fashion we have, only to ultimately develop an eyesore. We are very pleased with the way in which Evansville has already taken “ownership” of this enterprise in a fundamental sort of way. It will be our intent that this facility reflects the pride in the community, and the landscape design, signage, etc., will support that objective.

Responsible Development
It seems that most questions we receive regarding our utility and resource requirements are predicated on a much broader concern: Is NPP exploring all responsible options that will best protect and preserve the environment?

By way of offering assurance in this regard, I will say that the NPP Board of Directors has unanimously approved pursuit of Green Tier status for this enterprise. Green Tier is a WDNR program that requires a documented commitment to minimize impacts to the environment from all areas, including energy usage, emissions, waste/storm water, light pollution, etc. This program requires participants to have in place a qualified Environmental Management System, and NPP has already begun the process.

The design process for the facility itself is ongoing, but it’s on a short timeline. Mike Robinson and I had an encouraging meeting with Sandy Decker and members of the Evansville Initiative last Tuesday. Discussions are underway to determine an effective way to encourage their input into our design process. I anticipate at the least we will invite Steve Carlson to provide expert guidance and support as we move toward final engineering of the facility. We have also secured services of Madison Environmental Consultants and Focus on Energy, each of whose focus is dedicated to reducing our environmental footprint. We fully expect Steve and the others from EI, along with these other consultants, to push the envelope in favor of alternative energy and sustainable design, and thus serve as a counterbalance to the “institutional intransigence” that might otherwise be inherent to the effort.

I could provide a long list of options under consideration to promote this effort – some “pie in the sky” but many others that I expect will be incorporated. Working with EI throughout the process, I think the Evansville community will be assured that we have done an exceptional job in responsible design, and we look forward to sharing with you the unique solutions we incorporate as these decisions are made.

I hope you find this to be a sufficiently comprehensive and satisfactory answer to the questions you presented. Do not hesitate to follow-up with any additional questions or concerns you might have. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Jeff Pieterick, Vice-President, North Prairie Productions.
------------

#2. I also received a phone call from the Madison office of the Sierra Club, whom I had contacted to get an opinion from them on the general issue of bio-diesel being a "good thing". The national office of Sierra Club does not have a position on bio-diesel, but the local representative I talked to, speaking as a concerned, knowledgable and interested citizen, said she was in favor of biodiesel. She said it's a better deal than corn-based ethanol, because you get significantly more energy out of bio-diesel relative to the energy inputs required to produce it, as compared to ethanol.

Further comments and questions are invited.

Evansville: A NEV City?

2006-09-08T08:12:00.000-05:00

Neighborhood electric vehicles, or NEV's, are coming to Wisconsin. Last Spring the Legislature passed a bill legalizing NEV's, which are modified golf carts suitable for and licensed for city street use and capable of speeds up to 35 mph. Before NEV's can be used in a community, an ordinance authorizing their use must be passed. So far, Reedsburg, Sauk City, Mount Horeb, Wonewoc and Green Bay have done so. Other communities are considering doing so. Should Evansville think about this?

It's reported that that an NEV can go 200 miles for the price of one gallon of gas. The cost of a vehicle starts at about $7800, but can be more depending on features and options. NEV's have a range of 35-40 miles on a full charge, and re-charge in 8-12 hours. One company that makes them, Columbia Par Car, is located in Reedsburg WI. Another manufacturer is General Electric Motors, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler, located in Fargo ND.

Reedsburg Utilities just purchased an NEV equipped with heater/defroster and all-weather zipped doors. They will use it for reading electric and water meters year-round. RU's superintendent says that using an NEV provides cost savings, supports local industry and helps lower the dependency on foreign oil.

Here's another step that Evansville could take to brand itself as "green": pass an enabling ordinance for NEV's, then purchase one or more for appropriate city use by Department of Public Works and the Water & Light Utility.

I've seen several hybrid (gas/electric) vehicles around town. They have the advantage of being capable of highway speeds, but don't save all that much gas, and they're more expensive than their gasoline-powered twins.

Think about the trips you take in your current car. How many of them are within Evanville's city limits? Could an NEV work for you? With lower initial costs and very low operating costs, would it be worth it? Check out the websites mentioned above and contemplate the possibilities. What do you think?

Wind Power

2006-09-08T08:07:00.000-05:00

Evansville's Water & Light Utility recently joined 40 other communities as a member of Wisconsin Public Power, Inc. The primary advantage of this is to save energy consumers money. But there are other advantages as well. WPPI recently unveiled a community-based wind power initiative. The program involves having qualifed developers place utility-scale wind turbines in member communities to achieve an end result similar to that of a single-site multi-turbine wind farm. WPPI will select a short list of qualified projects for development in 2007-2008.

I asked questions about renewable energy of the WPPI reps when they made their presentation to Common Council several months ago. Though they didn't reveal this initiative then, it's another good sign to hear of it now. The city made the right decision to join WPPI.

I would like to encourage the city to "brand" itself as a "green" community for economic development reasons, and this would be a further step in that direction. It would mesh well with our high-school's geothermal system, our solar panels on the swimming pool, and the expected new bio-diesel plant.

I have asked the following questions of our W&L utility:
• What steps does Evansville need to take to participate in this wind-power initiative?
• How soon do we need to begin whatever process is necessary in order to get on their list of qualified projects for development in 2007-2008?
• What costs will the city incur to participate?
• What kind of support from Common Council and the Mayor will be necessary to enhance the city's chances of being chosen?

I will report here on answers I receive.

VOTE! Election Day is Coming. VOTE!

2006-09-02T13:43:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, September 12, is Election Day. Partisan primaries will take place in just 10 days in both parties for State Attorney General, and in the Democratic Party for 80th Assembly District representative. (I think these are the only races in the Evansville area; if I'm wrong, please correct me. Thanks.)

This election will be the first test of the new voter registration system that's been subject to a lot of controversy in Wisconsin, especially the State Elections Board's Accenture contract. You might want to allow a few extra minutes for voting this time, just because the system is different, but VOTE! Inform yourself about the candidates, and enjoy the honor of doing your civic duty.

City staff and poll workers were trained last week here in Evansville. I'm told that our City Clerk's office is one of the few in the state that is well prepared for this election, to a great degree because we've had a co-op student working hard on preparing the registration list.

You can vote from 7am to 8pm, 9/12, in the Senior Center, located in the elementary school complex just off Fair Street. See you there. If you live in Union, I believe the polling place is in the basement of the Eager Free Public Library, at the corner of First and Main.

Minutes of August 2006 Park Board Meeting

2006-09-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

City of Evansville, Wisconsin

Park and Recreation Board Regular Monthly Meeting

Evansville City Hall Council Chambers
August 22, 2006, 6:00 PM

DRAFT Minutes

1. Call to Order @ 6:00 PM & Roll Call: Chair Juergens, and Members Farnsworth, Jacobson, Krueger, Merritt & Sendelbach present. Staff members Anderson & Hamacher present. Member Carlsen excused.

2. Minutes of July 2006 meeting; approved on voice vote.

3. Citizen appearances other than agenda items:
a. The chair read a letter from Gloria Moyers offering to donate a bench in memory of her late son to be placed in Lake Leota Park, near the covered footbridge. The bench design she proposes is compatible with other installations in the park. The concrete pad upon which the bench will be placed will also include a bronze plaque noting the memorial. Motion by Krueger, second by Sendelbach to approve the donation. Motion passed unanimously.
b. Representatives from SOLE presented a plan for proceeding with further de-watering of Lake Leota, by modifying the concrete barrier above the sluice gate in the dam. They requested that PRB recommend adoption this plan to the Public Works Committee and get an estimate of cost through the City Engineeer. The chair will pass this request on to PWC. SOLE members also presented bills for materials they used to construct the new information Kiosk on the shore of Lake Leota. The Chair will pass these on to City Hall for payment.

4. Development of a “2006 Park & Outdoor Recreation Plan. The Chair passed out a document entitled “What Does a Plan Consist Of?”, copied from a DNR publication entitled, “Guidelines For the Development of Local comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans”. Also another document written by the Chair specifically for the purpose of working on Evansville’s plan, entitled “Things to consider when developing a new PRB 5-Year Plan”.

A1. The PRB reviewed the 1999 plan, chapter 4, entitled “Goals and Objectives”. One objective, “…encourage the use of suitable commercial recreational facilities…” was questioned. It was pointed out that the bowling alley, exercise facilities, martial arts and dance studios, among others, fit here. It is unclear if there are any anthropologic sites in need of preservation in the city.
A2. The PRB reviewed chapter 5 of the 1999 plan, entitled “The Plan”. It was noted that several programs recommended for implementation in that plan have not been instituted or completed. These include:
• pooling resources with the School District to provide quality programs.
• hiring a Recreation Director
• providing adult sports programs sponsored by the city
• developing a community recreation center for all ages.
• encouraging service organizations to develop “Friends of the Parks” programs
It should be noted however, that some of these activities have been going on informally without strong direction from the Park & Recreation Board.
Among the Park Policy Recommendations, many have been carried out.
The Plan also listed 34 specific Parks Improvement Projects. Of these all but ten have been completed, though some are projects either in progress or currently being discussed. These are:
• Repair stone work on the walls of Allen Creek through Leota Park.
• Address need to dredge Lake Leota
• Remove car bridge and create auto access to Madison St.
• Construct a blacktop pad by green shelter
• Construct a shelter at location of current shuffle boards.
• Re-Shingle roof of Boy Scout House
• Develop a program for replacement of Park trees.
• Develop bike paths in park and around Lake Leota
• Seal roads every 5-7 years.
• Construct a shelter with restrooms at Countryside Park.

B. City Planner Tim Schwecke offered to assist the PRB in any necessary way to develop a new plan. He has already prepared a draft of a new plan, based on the 1999 plan. It was mentioned that reviewing the 2004 Smart Growth Plan may reveal citizen ideas for new park projects. The chair requested that Mr. Schwecke generate new population figures to replace the ones in the old plan.

C. A Public Hearing on the question: “What are the strengths and weaknesses of Evansville’s park facilities and current park programs?. Public hearing opened at 7:17 PM. No citizen appeared to speak. Public Hearing closed at 7:18 PM.

D. Jacobson moved, Farnsworth seconded to have the PRB complete its new plan by the end of November 2006 in order to present it to Common Council for approval at its December 2006 meeting. Passed Unanimously.

5. Reports from the Chair: Public Works Department will no longer use Seminary Park as a temporary holding facility for leaves picked up during the fall of the year. These leaves will be transported to the new Public Works facility on South Madison St. The Chair reported that both Finance and Labor Committee & CommonCouncil has approved the appropriation of some $35K from the “Fees in Lieu of Parkland Dedication” account to install a restroom/shelter structure at Countryside Park. This work will begin this fall, under the auspices of the same high school teacher who supervised the construction of the new restroom in Lake Leota park during the past school year.

6. Reports and Updates on current park projects.
a. Lake Leota Park. The permanent “rules” signs are up at the Skate Park, but Ray Anderson reports that one of them has been vandalized. A question was raised about why the rules say no bikes or scooters. The chair will find out an answer by the next meeting. There is continuing difficulty in coming up with the best way to complete the surface of the skate park. The coating on the tennis court is peeling. It has been proposed to concrete half the tennis court, since this would come in under the budget, but some contractors recommend not doing only half. The skate club is reluctant to turn over its $5K contribution to the city until this issue is resolved. Another bid will be sought to blacktop the entire surface and presented to the September PRB meeting.
b. Franklin Park. The area for the new playground equipment has been dug out, but the equipment supplier says it needs to be deeper. It is expected that installation of the new equipment will occur starting in the third week of September. Water & Light still has not begun moving the poles. The chair will follow up. The old swing frame removed from the park may be cut down, refurbished and installed elsewhere in the city’s park system.
c. Countryside Park. The fence along Water St. has been removed, in order to open up the park as a more friendly place. Some citizens objected. Utility lines have been installed from Water Street into the park. The bathroom/shelter construction will begin soon.
d. West Side Park. Grading/seeding of the soccer field area has not yet begun.

7. Aquatic Report: Pool Director Rick Hamacher presented a letter describing various options for the Park Store License. He also presented a proposed fee schedule for 2007. This will be discussed in full at the September PRB meeting. Pool painting will be completed after it closes. More solar panels are currently in the proposals for the 2007 Capital Improvement Budget.

8. Park Maintanence and Improvements Report: Supervisor Ray Anderson had nothing to report beyond what has already been mentioned earlier in the meeting.

9. Old Business.
a. At the request of the Chair, Board members volunteered to choose a park that will be their special interest for the coming year and in developing the new 5-year plan. Farnsworth & Sendelbach: Lake Leota Park. Merritt: Franklin Park. Juergens: Countryside Park. Jacobson: West Side Park. Krueger: Brzezinski and Seminary. Wind Prairie remains unassigned, but it is hoped that Carlsen will take that on.
b. The chair passed out a set of “Park Assessment Criteria” for each of the board members to apply to “their” park. Using these criteria, each board member should report back to the Board at the September meeting about projects to include in the new 5-year plan for their park.
c. The Board agreed to participate in the Community Service Worker program as administered by Judge Alisankus on a trial basis. Board members may wish to interview possible candidates for the program before agreeing to supervise them. Members will examine their parks for possible tasks that the Community Service Workers can complete under their supervision.

10. New Business. The chair requested that Board members familiarize themselves with Seminary Park and begin to think of how this park could be of more use to the Evansville community.

11. A motion to adjourn was made at 8:35 PM.

Minutes drafted by Fred Juergens on September 2, 2006. Minutes are not official until approved at a subsequent PRB meeting.

Park & Recreation Board Chair Goes Crazy?

2006-08-31T08:47:00.000-05:00

Here's an idea -- perhaps outrageous to some, perhaps intriguing to others. It's just an idea, and not one I'm advocating. I'm only bringing it up for discussion to see where the citizenry (at least those who read this blog) stands. I don't know if it should ever get off the ground, or if it's good idea. Here goes.....

Who knows where Seminary Park is? Do you even know that the City owns most of the vacant land to the north and east of Seminary Apartments, off of Fourth St., and that (yes) it is in fact a city park. There are no amenities there, but lots of grass to mow and a number of big trees. It's scarcely used at all for anything that I can observe, except as perhaps a place for cook-outs by the residents of the Seminary Apartments, once in a while some father-son ball tossing. No playground equipment. There's a small park, Brzezinski, with playground equipment, just a block west. There's lots more playground equipment in the elementary school campus a block and a half to the south. There has been a proposal to install a small garden-type park area just at the west end of Church St, where it dead-ends at Seminary Park. It hasn't really gone anywhere, at least not yet.

Once, only half-seriously, I proposed making Seminary Park into a dog park to a couple of residents who live near the park, and was roundly shot down.

An idea has been floated, not by me, to sell that parkland to a private party. The city would clearly make money on the deal, but lose the green space. What would happen to it? That depends on how it would be re-zoned. But you can be sure no one would buy it and just leave it sit.

So here's another half-serious proposal, prompted by some comments to an earlier post of mine. Why not build a small, mostly walk-up, grocery store on part of that current park property?

1. What are the good points to this proposal? 2. What are the bad points? 3. What other interesting ideas (for using this city land) does this proposal spark? Don't just tell me it's a good idea or it's a terrible idea, or just ask more questions; evaluate the proposal, and answer the three numbered questions. I'll only post signed comments to this post, but if you request, I'll take your name off before I post. Thanks.

Auditor's Report on City Finances

2006-08-30T08:08:00.000-05:00

I've just waded through the Auditor's Report for the City for the year ending 12/31/2005. Since I'm not a financial type, I may have misunderstood some details of the accounting, but overall, I think this report says good things about how your city government has functioned from a financial standpoint during 2005. Highlights:

• Actual general fund expenditures for operations were about $106K less than budgeted.
• The city earned about $32K more in interest on temporary investments than was budgeted in 2005.
• The city's net assets increased in both 2004 (+$970K) and 2005 (+$1,188K). This indicates to me that the city's financial health is improving. Roughly 70% of our net assets is in land, buildings, machinery, infrastructure, etc.
• The city's general fund operating budget for the year 2006 showed an increase of only 1.3% over the budget for 2005. The largest increases in that budget were for wages and cost of living adjustments.
• The City's financial results are dependent on two main factors:
1. Having sufficient growth in tax base from new construction to produce revenue to cover increased costs and maintain current service levels, without having to increase the mill rate on assessed value.
2. Being able to provide high-quality services to a growing population while putting off increases in staffing as long as possible.

My take on the above:
1. I conclude from this that city officials were very careful about how they spent your tax money during 2005.
2. As of now, it is not clear that the city's tax base is actually growing sufficiently to cover costs due to growing population. I'm not sure that the city has the tools to evaluate property in new subdivisions to compare the taxes paid on those properties against the services provided to the residents who live there. However, I think there is a recognition of this among the members of the Plan Commission, and I hope that progress will be made in developing such an evaluation.
3. I'm not sure that we can put off increases in staffing any longer. As I view the operation of City Hall and the Public Works Department, it seems clear to me that services will begin to deteriorate without more people to do the necessary work of the City. Some examples:
As we add roads in new subdivisions, we need more staff to do snow-plowing in the winter, to pick up brush in the summer, etc.
As we add new park-land and facilities in parks, grass-mowing and maintenance requirements will increase.
We have no staff person whose responsibility it is to be the point-person to "sell" Evansville as a good place to do business and provide comprehensive info to businesses who inquire about locating here.
The city's website is woefully out of date, and current staff has little/no time to update it and even less to learn how to modernize it to provide services that other cities' sites provide.

As I've said before, our city's population is growing at a rate faster than most citizens are aware of. With that increase comes the need to provide services to new citizens. The city needs to manage that growth and also realize that, unless we want services to all citizens to deteriorate, that we'll need to spend more money if we are to maintain current service levels.

Where does the money come from? One source, in the long haul, is increased commercial and industrial development. There are indications that some such development may occur in the near future, but nothing is final yet on the bio-diesel/ plant, a possible soybean crushing plant, or possible commercial//industrial development on the southeast corner of Highways 14 and County M, (the land across from the Pig, McDonalds, etc.). Former city administrator Connors was vocal in advocating for building more new housing above the "starter-home" stage. Of course, the other source is increasing the city's tax rate on all existing property.

I urge all citizens to inform themselves on these issues and discuss them with city officials and other citizens. The future of Evansville depends on your participation in the decisions that you and the people you elect to office make. Be a part of the solution, not of the problem.

Evansville Taxes, as We Budget for 2007.

2006-08-28T12:23:00.001-05:00

Nobody likes paying taxes; that almost goes without saying -- especially property taxes, as opposed to say income taxes or social security taxes. I think that’s because property owners get hit with a big bill right around Christmas time, rather than having the taxes withheld from paychecks, etc., year-round. Where does that property tax money go? Part goes to the City, part to the School District, part to Blackhawk Tech, and part to Rock County, and a little bit back to the State. The city’s share of the bill is about 30%, and in addition every household is billed $105 for refuse collection, no matter what the assessed value of the residence. What follows is a discussion of how municipalities spend their tax money; it ignores the 70% of property taxes paid to the other four units of government mentioned above.

Here are some figures for taxes for municipalities around the state, provided by the Wisconsin Taxpayers’ Alliance; they are broken down by size of the municipality. The figures that follow are for municipalities with population between 4000 and 5000, like Evansville, and are for the year 2004. (This blog-site won't allow tables, so I must put in commas; you'll have to line up the columns in your own mind; sorry.)

Per Capita Spending (2004), State’s High, State’s Median, State’s Low, Evansville
General Government, $161, $93, $35, $93
Police, $540, $174, $77, $148
Fire/Ambulance, $243, $87, $24, $100
Street Maintenance, $185, $118, $57, $64

Overall Spending, $1046, $467, $208, $405
(Overall number is NOT a sum of the numbers above it! That's because the highest city in one category may not be the highest in all categories .)

The above table shows that for general government spending (administration, salaries, utility bills, planning, engineering and legal services, etc.) we’re right at the state median. In other words, half of Wisconsin’s municipalities our size pay more per person for General Government services than Evansville does, and half pay less. We’re below the median on police and street maintenance, and above the median on fire/ambulance. Overall, the City of Evansville spends significantly less than the state median -- $405 compared to $467.

The same source also gave figures for growth in spending from 2000 to 2004. Across the state for places our size, municipal expenditures per capita rose by 9.7% on the average. How about Evansville? Only 2.6%! Evansville’s city government has been very frugal with your money. Some might say too frugal. We spend less than other cities our size, and spending has increased at about 1/4 the rate of the typical city in the last several years.

Taxable property in municipalities falls into three main categories: residential, commercial, and manufacturing. The table below shows how Evansville’s categories compare with the rest of our peers:

Category, Residential, Commercial, Manufacturing
Median , 73.2% , 19.8%, 4.6%
Evansville, 81.8%, 11.8%, 4.8%

Why do we have so little commercial property compared to other cities our size? Is it because we’re located between two bigger commercial centers, Madison and Janesville? Do commercial businesses not locate here because we’re “too” willing to drive to shop? Why don’t we shop here? Prices “too high”? As fuel prices rise, that argument carries less and less weight. Not enough selection? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but as a member of the Evansville City Economic Development Committee, it surely would be great to discover answers. Then we might have a handle on what kinds of businesses to encourage to come here and serve our local shoppers.

I invite comments on what kinds of commercial businesses you'd like to see come to Evansville and how much (and why?) you shop out of town now.

What don't we know about Bio-Diesel?

2006-08-25T12:32:00.000-05:00

With all the enthusiasm about the new bio-diesel plant coming to Evansville, it's worth taking a step back and asking at least one important question: What possible negative aspects of this factory and process are we not hearing about? We've heard about increased truck traffic, and been reassured about how minimal any odor may be, and that the effluent into our city sewers will be well within the capacity of our wastewater treatment plant to handle, etc., etc.

Are there problems we haven't anticipated and aren't smart enough to ask about specifically?

Now, it may be that there are no negative aspects, or that they are strongly outweighed by the positive aspects, but unless we ask the question and seek out answers, I feel that the City Council is not exercising the due diligence it should in being smart about our city over the long haul.

So I've poked around a bit. I've contacted a professor at UW-Madison, I've called the Madison office of the Sierra Club, and I've googled "biodiesel negative". One link that came back from the google-search is Sebastian Blanco's blog , which you might take a look at. Another is an unabashed tree-hugger blog.

I've not gotten responses back yet from the first two contacts, but I hope to have some answers soon. If any reader has solid information (not idle speculation, please) on the topic, please comment here. Let's hope that I don't learn anything unpleasant. I'll keep you posted.

The Circus is Gone!

2006-08-22T12:44:00.000-05:00

The circus arrived about 9am yesterday morning, and by 4 PM were set up for two shows, one at 5 PM, and a second at 7:30. Big Tent, seating 400 people (my estimate), and separate "midway" attractions, like a pony ride, a big air-bag type slide, a trampoline-like enclosed air-bag to jump on, snack sales, feed and/or ride the elephant, etc.

Both shows were packed. All the performances, both human and animal, were well-received. There were trained horses, a chimp who could walk on stilts among other tricks, and the usual elephant stuff. Trapeze artists, clowns, jugglers -- a very good show for what was, after all, a small circus. I was on the grounds for both shows, and it was apparent that a good time was had by the audiences.

Per the rental agreement, the city was paid $511, paid in cash to me during the intermission of the second show. That's now been deposited at city hall. I guess that the circus probably made more money off everything else than they did off the ticket sales. And that's OK with me.

I went down to the park this AM, and the circus was already gone, and the grounds were almost perfectly clean; you'd hardly know they'd been there. A few small piles of peanut shells where the seats had been, a bit of hay on the ground where the elephant was, some minor ruts in the outfield from vehicle wheels, but nothing else that I could detect. No trash, no badly worn grass.

Yesterday from about 4:30 on, there were some animal rights protesters too, most from out of town as far as I could tell, but that was handled satisfactorily by our local police. I saw no evidence that the animals were treated inhumanely, though the protesters complained that there was insufficient water for the ponies. (That got fixed.) Nonetheless, they displayed pictures of a tiger (cub?) in a cage (no tigers here), shackles biting into the skin of an elephant (the elephant here was secured with a light chain when it wasn't giving rides to the kids, and seemed very docile), posters denouncing animal "slavery", etc, etc. They were clearly out for an emotional appeal, with no specific evidence that the animals in this circus were maltreated. They passed out literature suggesting that we should bring Cirque du Soliel here (!) Yeah, right! As if a Las Vegas style show would travel to little Evansville for a one-night stand, or that enough people would buy their high-priced tickets to make it a paying proposition! The protestors were a minor "fly in the ointment", but you can't please everyone. I'm certainly learning that, as it applies to civic involvement!

My overall impression was that this was a good experience for the vast majority of Evansville's people who attended. Perhaps we'll do it again in the future.

Growth and its management.

2006-08-20T13:19:00.000-05:00

Grumps took my population growth data from a previous post and made some salient comments about it and the whole topic of growth in Evansville. I'm flattered. The more that people in town that become aware of what's going on, the better, and Grumps' points are all well taken.

I got out my copy of the Smart Growth Plan in the last few days and, in reading through it, I noticed things that have always been there, of course, but which had escaped my attention before. They are in the last chapter, Chapter 12: Implementation. Here are a couple of quotes from page 196:

"To...help to ensure that the plan is implemented, milestone dates are provided for each objective. ...City staff, the Smart Growth Plan Committee, and the Plan Commission have reviewed the milestone dates to ensure that they are feasible expectations for the City."

"To ensure that the plan elements are understood in their totality..., the Plan Commission will annually review the goals and objectives." (emphasis in the original; it's not my addition.)

"Implementation of the Evansville Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan will be the primary responsibility of the Plan Commission."

It appears that, from reading Plan Commission minutes from May through August, that the PC has not completed an annual review, which one might expect to be done on the anniversary of the adoption of the Smart Growth Plan, June 15 or so. Like Doug Zweizig said when the Plan was adopted, it's the implementation that counts, not the adoption.

As an alder, I may have to ask the PC for a report.

Skate Park Rules

2006-08-20T13:01:00.000-05:00

Here is the sign (actually there are two) that lists the rules for the Skate Park in Evansville. Each sign is about 3 feet high and permanently mounted to the chain-link fence that more or less surrounds the park.

Sorry if it's not crystal-clear legible. This is my first attempt to put a picture in a post.

Growth, continued.

2006-08-17T11:05:00.000-05:00

I did some further investigation of growth rates in Evansville, following my earlier post on Growth. Using data from the Wis. Department of Administration, I was able to calculate the growth per decade for each of the seven decades that ended in 2000 through 2006. Here's what the data shows.

Decade ; Growth per decade.

1990-2000 ; 27.3%
1991- 2001 ; 28.6
1992-2002 ; 31.3
1993-2003 ; 31.3
1994-2004 ; 30.5
1995-2005 ; 33.6
1996-2006 ; 38.9

Thus, in the decade 1990 to 2000, Evansville grew by 27.3%, and this is the source of the "magic" 27% number. But in the decade 1991-2001, the rate increased to well over 28%, and for every decade since then, the growth rate has been in fact higher than the magic 27%. For the most recent decade, the growth rate was nearly 39%!

When the Smart Growth Plan was adopted in June 2005, data was available to at least the decade ending in 2004. Nonetheless subdivisions were approved by the city that increased the growth rate even more. Since I wasn't on Council when those subdivisions were approved, I can't speculate on the decision-making process then. The recent Council decision which essentially disallowed yet another subdivision in the near-term future was the right one and reflected the will of the citizenry, expressed both in the SGP survey of two years ago at the public hearing at the last Council meeting.

I urge all Evansville citizens who approve of the Smart Growth Plan to make sure the Plan Commission and City Council implement it, unless a very good reason shows up to make an amendment necessary.

Bio-Diesel Factory IS Coming to Evansville!

2006-08-17T10:14:00.000-05:00

This morning I attended a breakfast meeting of Evansville's Chamber of Commerce out at the Landmark Co-op grain facility on County M, south of the Pig. At the meeting it was announced that the North Prairie Productions bio-diesel plant IS coming to Evansville. As its principal officers said, "We're going full steam ahead.", building on land owned by the Co-op. Up until now, city officials had only high hopes that the project would come here, but now it's official.

The construction is to be done by a Wisconsin company, the Boldt Company, and the necessary engineering work by Foth & VanDyke, who also supply engineering services to the city of Evansville. The word is that the project will take about 6 months, but I'm not sure if that's 6 months from today, or from the actual start of construction. NPP will convert shipped-in soybean oil into bio-diesel using a clean, quiet process which involves methanol and a catalyst. The bio-diesel is biodegradeable and blendable with regular diesel fuel in all proportions.

Once operating, NPP will be able to produce about 45 million gallons of bio-diesel annually. Many of you have probably gotten a mailing from NPP inviting you to an open house at the high school this coming August 23 from 1-8 pm. There, you'll be able to ask questions, get information, and hear more details. I urge you to attend.

As an alderman and a member of the Economic Development Committee, I realize how much this project can benefit Evansville, in particular, by increasing the tax base and providing well-paying jobs, as well as benefiting farmers in the area who produce soybeans and, in a small way, our nation's push towards energy independence. Of course, nothing is free; what are the costs to the city? The biodiesel plant needs city water and sewer services. We have the capacity to supply what they need, but we will have to run the pipes out there. The city will bear more responsibility for maintenance of County M and snow-plowing in the winter, and those costs will be on-going.

Nonetheless, overall I believe that this industrial development will be much more beneficial to Evansville than further residential development. It also fits in well with other alternative energy activities here such as the geo-thermal heating at the high school, wind-powered electrical production there as well, and the solar panels now contributing to heating the swimming pool in Lake Leota Park. It may well be the first step in attracting other "green" businesses to the Evansville area.

On August 8th, City Council unanimously authorized our financial consultant, Ehlers, to begin work on a new Tax Incremental Financing District (#7) supporting this project, in anticipation of North Prairie's decision. The current schedule calls for the Plan Commission to hold a public hearing on the project plan at its next meeting, September 5 at 6PM, following which the Commission will make a recommendation on annexation/rezoning to City Council. The following week, on September 12th, City Council will discuss annexation/rezoning for TID #7 at its regular meeting. Council can't formally approve the annexation/rezoning until its October 10th meeting. If you want to keep up on how the city is handling this project, please come to these meetings.

There's no definite word on the soybean crushing facility that Landmark is exploring. A recent state-funded study demonstrated the feasibility of such a facility somewhere in Wisconsin. Landmark expects to issue a press release tomorrow, announcing that they will now do their own study, crunch the numbers and see if it's feasible for THEM to construct a crushing plant on their Evansville site. Right now, they're projecting about 60 days to a decision. If Landmark decides "YES", that's going to be a further boost to our local economy. Then the soybean oil necessary for North Prairie Productions' plant will be produced on-site; it won't have to be shipped in from out-of-state. Plus, the soybean meal produced here, used mostly as dairy feed, will be available to farmers at a lower price, because shipping for the meal will be less costly. Win-win, as they say.

Stay tuned....

Growth!

2006-08-12T16:31:00.000-05:00

I just received from the Evansville City Clerk the preliminary estimate of Evansville's population on Jan 1, 2006: 4896 people.

The value for Jan 1 2005 was 4660. The one-year growth in Evansville's population was thus 236 people or 5.1%. How does this compare with the 27% growth/decade that has become the focus of much discussion in Evansville recently? Or other measures of growth?

Doing some not-too-complex math, it turns out that for 27% growth in the decade from 1990 to 2000, if the population grew uniformly, the annual growth rate was a little more than 2.4%/year. So Evansville grew in the last year at more than twice the growth rate mentioned in the Smart Growth Plan. Projecting a 5.1% growth rate for 10 years gives about 64% growth/decade.

Looking at the growth rate from 2000 to 2005, which was 15.38% over those five years, and annualizing that rate, I calculate the annual rate was 2.9% and that annual rate yields a rate of 33.1% per decade.

Let's summarize: Our estimated population 8 months ago = 4896
1990-2000: 2.4%/yr or 27%/decade, Population est. in 2015 = 5918
2000-2005: 2.9%/yr or 33%/decade, Population est. in 2015 = 6202
2005-2006: 5.1%/yr or 64%/decade, Population est. in 2015 = 7637

What do these numbers tell us? Evansville's growth is accelerating, and that should give pause to all who want to keep the small-town atmosphere. Now one year doesn't mean a lot, because it looks like the population during 2006 won't grow as fast as it did in 2005. And it appears that developers' agreements for Capstone Ridge, Grand Orchard Estates, and Westfield Meadows will limit the growth rate. But we're not sure, and we need to keep our eye on the ball here, especially when considering anything that might affect Evansville's population.

Why worry? For one thing, increasing numbers of new people may lead to a lack of cohesiveness and common experiences among the residents of Evansville. For another, it's not clear that all the people who move here stay either, and population turn-over may mean that short-term residents have a lesser commitment to the city's long-term future. They may be less willing to pay taxes for long-term projects that may not benefit them, like building new schools, restoring Lake Leota or completing the West Side Park. And yet another consideration: short-term residency may affect volunteerism and mutual assistance. Persons with only minimal commitment to the community may not invest their discretionary time and effort in projects for which they feel little ownership.

None of this has to happen, of course, but it could. All those who have an interest in the long-term future of Evansville need to be wary of what growth could do to our city and actively manage it the best we can. None of this is meant to "blame" new residents for anything. I've only been in Evansville 6 years myself. I just want to raise awareness among all residents who read this of the possible situation we may face in coming years, as we inevitably grow.

Big Decision at last Tuesday's Council Meeting

2006-08-10T13:24:00.000-05:00

It appears that the Evansville Common Council has responded to the expressed wishes of the citizens of our fair city. On the agenda at last Tuesday's meeting was an item involving some property on the northwest boundary of Evansville. A developer wanted the city to take the first step to allow accelerated development of this land, from agricultural to residential.

In late June, the Plan Commission approved the developer's application, on a narrow 4-3 vote. This first-stage approval caused some consternation among residents of the area, both in Evansville and the town of Union, in which the subject property is located. Because of approval of the PC, the issue came to Council Tuesday night, and a well-attended public hearing was held. Much of the discussion among the Council and from the public involved how this proposed development would affect the growth rate of Evansville, which has been high for at least 15 years, and which is projected to remain high because of prior approvals of subdivisions that are not yet built out. Yet another subdivision would increase the growth-rate even more.

While the description of the proposed development was attractive, sort of on the Middleton Hills traditional neighborhood model, and while I agree that such a type of development would be a good alternative to the more conventional subdivisions currently underway, I could not support the development on the grounds of aesthetics. To me, our growth rate is high, perhaps too high, already, because of prior approval of subdivisions.

The citizens who commented at the hearing were uniformly opposed to increasing the growth rate, and their reasons varied widely. They all had credible reasons, though. In addition, the survey taken of some 500 residents in 2004, prior to the approval of the Smart Growth Plan, indicated that some 90% of them wished growth no greater than in the past.

Based on all the above, and my own judgement, I voted "NO" when asked to approve the first step. I was joined by all my colleagues on the Common Council. The final vote was zero YES, and eight NO. The Smart Growth Plan will not be amended to accelerate growth.

I trust that the Plan Commission will take this as a signal to implement the Smart Growth Plan as it exists. One concern at PC was traffic, and it was suggested that a new development on this land would assist in solving the problem of all the traffic from the west side coming through the Main-Madison intersection. I hope the Plan Commission will begin work on how to alleviate the traffic well before building more houses that will only contribute more overall traffic. If we need another corridor out of town, let's figure out how to get that -- independent of any further residential development.

I applaud the efforts and comments of the citizens who came to the hearing. I believe that your input may have swayed some Alders' votes. Which is the way it should be. Thank you for participating in your government.

PRB Public Hearing Date Changed.

2006-08-10T13:14:00.000-05:00

Just be sure, I'm giving notice here that date of the Park and Recreation Board Public Hearing relative to the development of a new 5-year park and outdoor recreation plan has been changed.

The new date is Tuesday, August 22, in City Hall. The meeting will start at 6 PM, and the Public Hearing will occur early in the agenda, likely within 15-30 minutes of the start time.

The hearing will involve getting public input on two questions: What are the current strengths and weaknesses of Evansville's park facilities and programs? What changes would you like to see in these facilities and programs over the next five years?

No decisions will be made about possible proposals from the public at this meeting. Rather the Park and Recreation Board will use this input to complete development of the new 5-year plan by the end of 2006.

It is possible that a second public hearing may be held to review a draft of the developed plan, prior to its being submitted to Common Council for approval.

Exactly, exactly... You made my point; thank you.

2006-08-03T12:21:00.000-05:00

"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." -- Benjamin Franklin

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." -- Thomas Jefferson

"The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter." -- Winston Churchill

When I get anonymous comments that make broad-brush allegations of wrong-doing with no supporting evidence, that predict future wrong-doing, that reveal festering resentments for old perceived wrongs, that make personal attacks on city officials, that use unseemly language, that contain just plain wrong "facts", mostly I just glance at them, shake my head, and hit the "Delete" button. And I console myself with basic statistics. Half the population of Evansville, indeed of any group, is below average.

Several times, I've tried to explain here to these anonymous posters that I won't post their twaddle if they don't have the guts to identify themselves. It's clear they just don't get it. Rather they furiously and repeatedly post back, go off on tangents, & come up with all other kinds of supposed reasons that I won't post -- reasons that are just plain ridiculous. I've made public what my reasons are. If you can only express yourself anonymously, there's one place where that's guaranteed -- in the voting booth. Otherwise, city affairs are to be conducted in the open, and there are all kinds of laws to ensure that. Prove otherwise, and you can throw the bums out before the next election.

I admit it; sometimes I'm arbitrary in what I allow to be posted here, but hey, it's a free country, and I'll control my own blog as I wish, thank you. If this appears like I'm sounding "superior", as some have claimed, .... well ...

Yes. All people are not created equal, except in a limited sense having to do with their rights and responsibilities, as enumerated in our Constitution, for example. On a bell curve of intelligence, I'm confident I'm not at the bottom. That means I'm smarter than some people, but it doesn't mean I won't have a dialogue if they show their face and they have something positive to offer. It also means I'm dumber than some other people. And I'll tell you, for me it's usually a joy to interact with people of obvious intellect and talent; if they're smarter than me and I'm open to it, I can probably learn something from them. Makes me a better person, a better public servant. Maybe it takes some mininum of intellect to realize that, though. And maybe on some other measure, I'm at the absolute bottom of the bell curve. It's a possibility.

Nonetheless, if anyone wants to be taken seriously as a thinking adult by me, they'll have to demonstrate responsibility for what they say. Hiding negativity and other trash behind anonymity puts one on on the slippery slope that eventually may bottom out in the hoods of the Ku Klux Klan. But responsibility is apparently is dreaded by those who post trash anonymously. I'll probably never get through to some of them. That's regrettable, but as one of those blue collar comedians is fond of saying, "You can't fix stupid."

"Be the change you want to see in the world." -- Mohandas Gandhi
"The Golden Rule is of no use to you whatever, unless you realize it is your move." -- Frank Crane

Some feel compelled to take any event and twist it into something negative. I guess the person quoted below reads my blog fairly frequently; I'm grateful, because it makes my point yet again, even before I finished writing this. Here's the very last negative anonymous post I'll allow on my blog; it was posted in response to my announcement, just a couple of hours ago, saying that the circus is coming to town.

Anonymous: "Well you should feel right at home being your nothing but a clown. a joke"

After shaking my head, I copied it here, before I hit the "Delete" button. Hasta la vista, baby!

The CIRCUS is coming, the CIRCUS is coming!

2006-08-03T08:32:00.000-05:00

Yes, a Big Top Circus under a tent IS coming to Evansville. August 21, 2006. Monday; late afternoon and evening. Probably two shows.

Here's the scoop.

Monday (7/31) afternoon, an agent for Big Top Circus, based in Sarasota, Florida, called me to inquire if they could bring their show to Evansville. They are a traditional, family-oriented tented circus that has been traveling the upper Midwest this summer. They'll be in West Bend and Jefferson before arriving here. After I did a lot of checking and talking with quite a few people around town, a decision was made, and I faxed off the signed contract Wednesday afternoon. I confirmed with a phone call this morning

So..... The circus is coming, the circus is coming....

Elephant, chimpanzee, dancing bear, juggler, high-wire performers, trapeze acts, balancing acts, contortionists, clowns. Lots of young performers. All under a candy-striped Big Top. Fun for all ages. A wonderful family event. Two kids 14 and younger get in FREE with each paying adult. Cotton Candy, peanuts, balloons, pickles on a stick!

Big Top Circus provided current references and a certificate of insurance. I called Hoyt Lakes MN and Wilmot SD, and got very positive, enthusiastic reports from both towns. I called BTC's insurer to verify that their $1M liability insurance coverage is in force. Our city's insurance agent says that amount is adequate. Our police department and public works department are on board. Our city attorney doesn't see any problems. I checked with DATCP about licensing for their animals; stuff is OK there. The Mayor and Alder Bill Hammann are supportive.

Big Top Circus will handle all print and media advertising. They are basically renting space in Lake Leota Park for the day; we get a fixed rental fee plus a percentage of the gate receipts. The park provides space about the size of a softball diamond, and the Big Top will probably go where the beer tent was for the July 4th celebration. Details will be worked out with Public Works. BTC provides their own electric generator -- don't need juice from the city. They do need hose connections for watering their animals, but nothing we can't easily provide.

I'll be Evansville's liason person with Big Top Circus. Look for posters and publicity as the time draws nearer. We expect them to roll into town around 9 am the morning of August 21. Bring your kids to the park to watch them unload and put up the Big Top!

Skate Park Report (2nd hand)

2006-07-31T10:58:00.000-05:00

I was talking with Dave Wartenweiler, Evansville's Director of Public Works this morning (July 31.) The skatepark equipment has been in less than a week. Dave reported to me that he's seen at least two hundred kids using the skatepark in the times he's been by -- sometimes 25 kids there. (This doesn't mean 200 different kids, obviously, but the total number of user-visits he's observed over the course of the last six days.

What is really great is that he says that all the young people seem to be sharing the facility with courtesy and respect for one another. There had been some concerns expressed that perhaps the bigger and/or more experienced boarders would try to hoard the ramps, etc, but Dave reports that he sees that everyone -- from the youngest who aren't very good yet to the most talented and experienced -- is getting their turn at every piece of equipment.

I haven't been there as much as Dave, but I saw the same kind of sharing. Perhaps the kids are just really good about it; perhaps they're just conscious that adults are watching them. As long as everyone is having a good time, I'm delighted.

I invite all citizens to take a quick pass by the Skate Park, especially if you've had some doubts about whether this facility is a good thing for Evansville. Judge for yourself, and perhaps post your observations here.

And remember, if a town doesn't have a skate park, the whole town becomes the skate park!

Public Hearing on Parks: August 21st.

2006-07-31T07:53:00.000-05:00

Notice of Public Hearing
Park and Recreation Board Regular Meeting
Monday, August 21, 2006 6:00 PM City Hall, 3rd floor Council Chambers

The Park and Recreation Board is beginning to develop a new five-year Park and Outdoor Recreation Plan, which would replace the 1999 Plan. The new Plan will guide the development and improvement of the City’s outdoor recreation facilities over the next five years, in order to meet the recreational needs and desires of the city’s residents.

The Park and Recreation Board will draw on Evansville's 2005 Smart Growth Plan, as far as the Smart Growth Plan applies to parks and outdoor recreation.

The Park and Recreation Board wishes to learn what residents think now of the current park facilities and programs and to determine their desires for the future. PRB believes that citizen input is essential to create a plan that will be supported by residents in general and by city officials, constrained of course by available resources.

The purpose of the public hearing is for the PRB to receive citizen input on these questions:

1. What are the strengths & weaknesses of Evansville’s park facilities and current park programs?

2. What changes would you like to see in these facilities and programs over the next five years?

All interested persons are invited to attend and speak at this hearing.

If for some reason, you can't make it to the hearing, please either comment on this post or email the PRB Chair at fredjuergens@charter.net. If you want your comments to be considered & read into the record at the public hearing, you must include your name and address. Since people who speak at the hearing are required to give their name and address, anonymous comments to the blog or emailed to me will be ignored. This hearing is for people willing to speak up in public.

Skate Park Equipment (mostly) Installed

2006-07-29T13:28:00.000-05:00

Last week, as reported in the Review, a semi pulled up to Lake Leota Park. Two ramps, a "fun box" with a rail, and a grind rail were unloaded. The first three of these are now in position on the former Tennis Court #3.

I was at the Skate Park yesterday and talked with some of the kids who were there skating and blading. It was clear they were having a good time, despite the heat, and enjoyed the new facilities. You might want to stop by too, just to see what's going on. It might be even better to talk to the kids and get a feel for who they are and why they like skateboarding and blading.

The grind rail requires a more intricate installation. Some holes have to be dug through the asphalt surface. Then, concrete footings have to be poured, and on them, the rail will be mounted. Hopefully this will occur soon, but there's no definite schedule yet. Public Works personnel are very busy mowing all the grass in the parks and picking up brush, and a myriad of other tasks.

Doug Zweizig's Comments on the Smart Growth Plan

2006-07-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

Doug made the comments below the dotted line over a year ago, in June 2005, to the Evansville City Council at the meeting where Council accepted and approved the Smart Growth Plan. They've been posted on other blogs before, but since we're having a public hearing on amending the Smart Growth Plan at the August 8th Council meeting, I think it's worth making them available again. So much so that I've emphasized some of his points in bold print; this is my idea, not Doug's.

----------

We can look at this event tonight as a time for celebration and satisfaction: celebration of the completion of a truly comprehensive plan for the City of Evansville and satisfaction with the results of years of work by a volunteer committee of citizens, by City staff, and by a skilled consultant. I am speaking tonight as a citizen of Union Township and as a member of the Smart Growth Committee from its beginning until August of 2004, when I became chair of the Union Township Smart Growth Committee. Others here may speak from the perspective of the Union committee, but tonight I am speaking only for myself as a citizen of the Evansville area.

I’m going to take a risk tonight by pointing out that the achievement of this impressive document is only one half of the hard work that needs to be done if Evansville, or any community, is to have the future that the plan envisions. The second half is to improve the way the plan is to be carried out. After all, this is not the first such plan that has been developed. It would be a good idea to reflect on the fate of those previous plans.

We might think about how we would describe the process through which planning and development decisions have been made in this community, for, without careful attention to change, that process is most likely to be the way in which decisions continue to be made. If I were to characterize the existing process, I would describe it as opportunistic, short sighted, and secretive.

“Opportunistic” in the sense that decisions are made on the basis of which property becomes available at a particular time. Then energies are focused on how to move that project along with little attention to whether such a project had been thought desirable in the existing plan. In fact, the efforts appear to be directed to altering the plan to meet the opportunity rather than shaping the opportunity to conform to the plan. At the time that the Smart Growth Committee was meeting to design a future for Evansville that would reflect the desires of its residents, the Plan Commission was greatly changing that future by amending the Master Plan to respond to an opportunity. A test of the nature of the decision making process would be to consider whether any proposal for development has ever been turned down by the City. I understand that no proposals have been turned down by the Town of Union and have been told that none have been turned down by the City of Evansville. That would seem to be a strong indication of responding to initiatives by developers rather than guiding development according to the agreed-upon plan.

“Short sighted” in that decisions appear to be made in order to solve immediate problems without adequate consideration of the long term consequences. I have been told by a number of people in a position to know that the decision to go ahead with rapid development on the west of Evansville was due to the need to pay for an unfortunate previous decision regarding a lift station. While moving ahead with the development was thought to help financially in the short run, the necessary planning for transportation, the possible impact on school capacity, and the provision of retail services were not addressed in this rush to approve the proposal. The consequences of this decision will be felt by the community for some time to come.

“Secretive” in the sense that it is very difficult for a citizen to learn what developments are under consideration by the City until it is too late to have much influence on them. The importance of citizen participation is a central feature of the Smart Growth process, and the development of the new master plan is seen as an activity for the whole community. But when the plan is implemented, the process becomes non-participatory. Information is shared by rumor, rather than openly and accurately. When notices of hearing appear in the Review, they are incomprehensible to this citizen because they use the legally required references to the property with no explanation of the location that I would understand and use illegible maps, and of course, by the time the hearing notice is published, the decision makers appear to be invested in the project, and reservations seem pointless.

I have cited these examples not to rehash the past or to point fingers, but to illustrate that the manner in which decisions are made makes a difference and has consequences.

This process by which decisions get made, what I would call the culture of planning, is not one that any of us has invented. This is the process that has come down to us, the way in which business has been conducted for as long as anyone can remember, is the way things are done in many comparable communities, and it seems that it is the natural way. And there would be no reason to suggest an alternative if this process has served the community well.

However, I think there is ample evidence that the way in which previous development has occurred has sometimes not served the community well. When citizens of Evansville think of the things they value about their community, I doubt that they are thinking of the many recent homes that have been built. The citizens said in the survey of Evansville residents that they valued the small city atmosphere, almost half wanted City government to limit or eliminate growth in housing and population, almost 60% wanted the population to increase at a slower rate or remain the same. This seems to be a clear rebuke to development activity that resulted in a 27% increase in the previous decade. A more open process for review of development proposals would have addressed the need for transportation on the west side before approving the division of property. A more careful calculation would have anticipated the school tax implications of adding families in properties that probably will not pay the additional costs for education.

So my point tonight is that unless attention is paid to how decisions are being made about land uses in Evansville, the fate of this fresh plan is likely to be that of its predecessors.

In a fine article in support of Smart Growth that appeared in the Janesville Gazette, Janis Ringhand referred to the plan being considered tonight as “a living document.” Of course, she meant that the plan would need to be regularly reviewed and revised as conditions change. But I have heard others use that phrase and am concerned that for some people the phrase is taken to mean that the plan can be ignored when it’s inconvenient, just as previous plans have been. Of course, the plan will need evolve; the test is whether the manner of changing the plan honors the wishes of the community as well as the original Smart Growth plan.

In order to be constructive, I would like to offer some suggestions that could help ensure that decisions made about land use in Evansville, and in Union, are not just opportunistic, are not short sighted, and are not secretive. I would suggest that the Plan Commission (and the Planning and Zoning Committee in Union) would develop a checklist to be used to evaluate proposals for development.

The checklist would include such questions as:

To what degree is the proposed development consistent with the comprehensive plan?
What would be the impact on transportation needs of this proposed development?
Is there a plan for needed transportation improvements?
How are the costs of these improvements to be covered?
What other infrastructure improvements would be required?
Will be the projected property taxes derived from the proposed development be sufficient to pay for the additional services required?

And so on. There are many other questions that others could suggest and that are suggested by the comprehensive plan.

The use of such a checklist would ensure that needed aspects of the proposed development are addressed in advance. By making the responses to the checklist in writing and part of the minutes of the Plan Commission, the community can be informed of the decisions made and the reasons for them.

Finally, I need to anticipate a response to these comments. I have observed that anyone who questions the way in which development has occurred is immediately dismissed as being against growth or development. So I want to be clear that I am not against growth; I am against growth that is not well planned or in accord with the vision of the community.

I congratulate the City of Evansville on the completion of their Smart Growth plan and am ready to join with those in the City who want to do the hard work to make the plan Evansville’s reality through a process that adheres to the plan, takes the long view, and is open to the community.

Douglas Zweizig
June 15, 2005

Lake Leota?

2006-07-29T12:49:00.000-05:00

I guess there's a lot of rumor, innuendo, and plain wrong information floating about the Evansville community about the situation with Lake Leota. Here is a brief history and description of what's going on now. I hope it's accurate; people with better information than I are encouraged to comment on this post, if I have any misconceptions or my facts are wrong.

The lake used to be 18 feet deep in places; that's probably 70-100 years ago. 25 years ago LL averaged 3 feet deep; 5 years ago it averaged 1.5 feet deep. It is silting in due to upstream runoff, mostly from farmers' fields. If nothing were to be done to the lake, it would become a swamp in the not too distant future, actually a "protected wetland" in DNR terms, and once "protected", nothing could be done to bring the lake "back". So, in summer 2005, with DNR approval, the city's elected officials decided to drain the lake by opening the dam -- not in order to leave it drained, but in order to figure out how to restore it to a reasonable depth. One object of the draw-down was to dry the sediment on the lake bottom and to compact it. Another was to remove all the rough fish. Still another was to inspect the dam, which has some years on it.

The dam was opened last September (fortunately the mechanism worked OK; it had never been tested) and slowly drawn down. Naturally there is still flowing water through the lake bed, due to Allen Creek upstream. It was also discovered that there are a number of springs in the lake bed, particularly on the west side. Early in 2006 it was discovered that the dam spillway is higher than expected, so the subsurface moisture wasn't draining out of the lake sediment as fast as one would have hoped. Right now, the city's engineering firm is trying to figure out how to dry the muck as much as possible; they'll also be working out how much material would have to be removed to make the lake 8' deep, 10', 15', etc .

Once that information is in hand, contractors will contacted to get an estimate of what the cost of removing and hauling sediment. It's possible that dredging won't occur until winter 2007-08, because most contractors prefer to work on frozen dirt; their heavy machinery works better on such a surface than on damp muck. The cost to deepen the lake will be steep, I'm guessing probably between $1 Million and $2 Million. It could be more depending on how deep the dredging goes and how far the sediment has to be hauled for disposal. This will be a major burden on the city's taxpayers; our entire city budget is about $1 Million annually.

Right now, the SOLE Committee (Save Our Lake Environment) is constructing an informational kiosk at the edge of Lake Leota right near the swimming pool parking area. It will contain more information about the situation, progress as it's being made, and how to participate in the restoration process.

Lake Leota was allowed to deteriorate over many years. It can't be fixed overnight or without considerable thought, planning, time, and expense. The process has started. Whether the city can afford to restore it remains to be seen. Obviously good cost estimates will be required before making any decisions. If it is not restored to a reasonably deep lake, it will be Evansville's loss, no doubt. If the dam is merely closed with no work done on the lake bottom, then we'll have very shallow lake again and a swamp in 10 years, in my estimation. A third possibility is to leave the dam open and try to reclaim the lake bottom as recreation land, once it's dry enough to do so. At least we'd have a bigger park. None of these directly address the continuing upstream run-off situation, which is outside the jurisdiction of the city. We've got a tough problem and no immediately obvious solution.

I invite all Evansville residents to take the opportunity to get more involved in decisions about the process. Contact your alders. One possibility being bandied about, but not seriously discussed yet, is to hold a city-wide binding referendum on raising residents' taxes to pay for the lake restoration, but that's probably a year away, if it happens at all.

Divided Loyalties

2006-07-01T08:56:00.000-05:00

I'm not a member of the Evansville Plan Commission, and so I didn't attend their meeting last Thursday night. Rather, I was in Baraboo, playing a public concert on their town square with the Madison Municipal Band -- a group I've belonged to for 30 years. We've had the same director for those 30 years. He's a good friend, and he's slowly dying because of inoperable cancer. Thankfully, he is still in good spirits and fairly vigorous. I mean to play under his baton as long has he he has strength to wave it -- whenever he schedules a concert or a rehearsal.

Nonetheless, I am sorry I missed the Plan Commission meeting, because it appears that a significant issue was raised. As I see it, from what has appeared on the Observer and in the Janesville Gazette, and what I've heard in a few conversations since the meeting, the issue is whether to adhere to the 2005 Smart Growth Plan's discussion of population growth in the City of Evansville in the foreseeable future. As an alder, I will have to decide how to vote on this issue, and I need to inform myself as completely as possible before doing so.

A demonstrated knowledge of the SGP should be a prerequisite for anybody wishing to discuss population growth, in my view. It was prepared, with a large amount of citizen input through a 2004 survey and other means, by some of the more distinguished of the Evansville area's residents. The Eager Free Public Library has a copy available. It is available on the internet at:
http://www.omnni.com/ActiveProjects/Evansville.htm
I printed my copy from that website.

SGP was adopted by the Evansville City Council on June 15, 2005, scarcely more than a year ago.

SGP says that the total growth of the City of Evansville's population was 27% from 1990 to 2000. Question 11 of their survey shows that:
• only 5% of those surveyed favored the city's encouraging "rapid" growth, i.e. faster than 27%;
• 49% were for "moderate" growth, maintaining the same 27%;
• 34% were for "limit growth", slower than 27%;
• 13% for keeping the same population, i.e., no growth at all.
Question 26 repeats the 5% figure for more rapid growth, though the other three numbers show a stronger desire for slower or no growth than moderate growth. These figures speak for themselves; 27% is the maximum growth rate that city residents favored two years ago.

Ever since I've been paying attention, the City Administrator has been warning the Plan Commission and Council that within a year of SGP's adoption, the city had already approved development of subdivisions that would devour that entire growth rate over the next decade -- Capstone Ridge, Grand Orchard Estates, and Westfield Meadows. Approving yet another subdivision will necessarily increase the growth rate, something that 95% of citizens surveyed said two years ago that they don't want. Though SGP doesn't prescribe a 27% growth rate, it's certainly implicit in the data collected to prepare the plan.

I'm a big believer in city government listening to city residents, and to the largest extent possible, acting in accord with their wishes. I'm a big believer in planning. I have to question whether the Plan Commission is also a believer, rather than just reacting to every new development proposal on an individual basis.

I acknowledge that plans are just that -- plans. They can be changed. But I don't think they should be changed willy-nilly -- or worse, ignored. Do the four members of City's Plan Commission have stated good reasons for their favoring the first step to allow the city to exceed a 27% growth rate over the coming decade? Perhaps, had I been to the meeting Thursday night, I would know those reasons. I hope the minutes of the meeting, when they're published, will state them. You can be sure that I'll be asking for PC's reasons when the issue comes before the Council.

Though I'm amenable to being convinced otherwise by logical arguments, right now I see no reason to deviate from the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Evansville's residents who do not want the city's growth rate to increase. I welcome input in any form from all concerned parties.

June 19, 2006 Draft Park Board Minutes -- long post.

2006-06-25T10:55:00.000-05:00

1. Call to Order @ 6:00 PM & Roll Call: Chair Juergens, and Members Farnsworth, Jacobson, Krueger, Merritt present. Staff members Anderson & Hamacher present. Members Carlsen & Sendelbach absent.

1a. Request to modify agenda: Item 7 to just after Item 3. Approved on voice vote.

2. Minutes of April 2006 meeting; approved on voice vote. No formal meeting in May 2006, due to lack of quorum, hence no minutes to approve for that month.

3. Citizen appearances other than agenda items:
a. Alderperson Doug Wessels and resident Ayn Steinlein, spoke regarding a dog park. Minimum space requirements are roughly the size of a football field. Needs to be fenced. Benches and trash disposal facilities would be nice. Wessels stated that over the years roughly a dozen sites have been proposed and shot down for one reason or another. Without a definite site in mind, it's hard to work up enthusiasm for fund-raising. The PRB needs to take another look at possible sites and see if something can be made to work. Juergens requested that Dog Park proponents help by coming to PRB in the future with definite suggestions of possible sites.

b. Residents Rich Modaff, Jon Anderson, Linda Johnson, and Patricia Johnson, all residing near the intersection of Church St and College Drive, spoke about the Public Works Department's use of part of Seminary Park as temporary storage for leaves, etc., during fall clean-up. The result of this, over the years, has been that sidewalks have been damaged & grass killed. Further, the pile itself is a possible hazard for children playing in it, it becomes moldy, exacerbating allergies of nearby residents, it smells, it's an eyesore and detriment to the Historic District, and because it's there, other residents have dumped their own trash on the pile. The four residents all requested that this site's use as a temporary dump be stopped.

Farnsworth moved and Krueger seconded that PRB recommend to the Public Works Committee that the Public Works Department cease the practice of using this area as a storage area for leaves. Motion passed unanimously.

Linda and Patricia Johnson spoke of a proposal to use the leaf-pile area as a memorial garden, planted with shade-tolerant perennial plants, to recently deceased city resident Kathleeen Spanton. Volunteer labor would plant and maintain this garden area. Park Maintenance Supervisor Anderson pointed out that it's hard to count on volunteer labor over the long haul, and that in its absence, the maintenance work falls on the Public Works Department. The PRB will consider this proposal once the leaf-pile issue is settled.

7. Franklin Park Update. (Moved to this position by prior agreement)
a. Ray Anderson reported that the new playground equipment for the park will be installed before school starts in fall. He relies on assistance from other Public Works staff to do this work, and they are very busy now. There was discussion about exactly where the new equipment will be located. Anderson presented a plan from the Burke Company locating the equipment near the existing east fence. There's a difference of opinion on where the equipment should go; if it's to be located where the equipment seller is suggesting, then two and possibly three trees will have to be cut down. Some residents living nearby the park want to avoid cutting trees. Juergens asked why the entire footprint of the equipment installation couldn't be moved more into the center of the park, recognizing that this might interfere with some of the space associated with the existing backstop. No resolution of this issue at this time.

b. Landscape update. Resident Ayn Steinlein and a crew of volunteers she is organizing will plant as soon designated area is roto-tilled and plant materials purchased.

c. John Rasmussen of Water & Light presented a cost estimate of about $2300 to remove one temporary pole and move another of the electrical service about 48 feet to the east. He gave PRB members a copy of the plat map showing the current locations of the poles and the proposed change. He does not yet have all the information Juergens requested as to what the cable and telephone companies will charge to move their lines to the new pole location, but did say that the "old" pole will have to stay in place until they do so. He estimated that the phone cost will be about $1500 - $2000, but hasn't heard from the cable company. When the electrical service is moved, there could be a power-outage of several hours in the immediate area. Jacobsen questioned the proposed location of the moved pole and wanted more information about possible other pole locations.

Krueger moved and Merritt seconded that Water & Light undertake the planned pole re-arrangement at their earliest convenience and that PRB approve funding the cost from the Franklin Park allotment of the 2006 Capital Budget. Motion passed 6-1.

d. Removal of concrete from the front of the park, removal of part of the fence, and one "weed" tree along the fence line will occur at about the same time as the playground equipment installation.

e. Juergens proposed, and heard no objection, that the entire PRB membership and staff begin their July 2006 meeting at Franklin Park to actually see the layout there and make a final decision on the outstanding issues of equipment location. Without objection, it will be noticed in the agenda for the July meeting.

4. West-Side Park work for 2006.
a. Dave Sauer, city engineer, reported that a request for bids, for grading and seeding the soccer field area, has been published with a bid date of July 13th. He hopes to have a contract in place by August 1st, and to get the work done by September 1st. There was some discussion of the actual size of the area to be prepared. Tom Calley requested 120 yards length, whereas the current plan is for 110 yards. It is not clear that the additional length will fit into the existing Plan #4 that was approved last fall, but Sauer will investigate. Farnsworth moved, Merritt seconded, that if such lengthening is possible without disrupting park plans, that it be done. Passed unanimously.

Sauer requested that the soccer club specify the seed-mix that they want as a special "tough" surface for the fields. Juergens will contact a soccer club representative to pass that request along.

b. Todd Diehl of 255 S. 6th St noted that a drainage ditch behind his property is overgrown and needs cleaning out. Sauer reported that the developer of the area has the responsibility to fix this and will do so in 2-3 weeks.

5. Lake Leota Park update.
a. Anderson reported that a large tree near the Gransee memorial area is a "dirty" tree. Mr. Gransee has offered to donate a more appropriate tree if the existing one is removed. Juergens will discuss this with the City Forester, Kendall Wethall, before a decision is reached on this offer.

b. Gib Wiedenhoft of SOLE said that the group is redoing their long-range plan for restoring the lake. PRB recognizes that decisions on this project are really in the purview of the Public Works Committee and Council, but appreciates the willingness of SOLE to discuss their plans with PRB. Wiedenhoft requested that PRB approve locating an informational kiosk near the Boy Scout house and paying approximately $732 for materials to construct it. Labor would be provided by SOLE.

Farnsworth moved, Krueger seconded, to grant location approval and authorize payment for materials. Motion passed unanimously.

c. The plantings at the 2nd st entrance to the park have been renovated.

6. Skate Park update;
a. Juergens began a discussion of possibilities for the skate-park surface, recognizing that Council had approved additional money to install new asphalt paving. Possibilities mentioned were:
i. putting the purchased equipment on the existing surface and waiting until fall to put in new asphalt; this would allow more time for asphalt to "cure" and minimize any rutting that might occur due to wheel pressure. Krueger states that there are special "super-mix" asphalts that cure very quickly.
ii. putting the equipment on the existing surface, saving the money allocated for asphalt, and requesting money in the 2007 capital budget to install a concrete surface then.
iii. seeking a contractor to replace the existing surface with new asphalt as soon as possible.
Jacobsen objected to seeking still more money for concrete, since increasing the 2006 capital budget had been a contentious issue. Mayor Decker, speaking from the audience, pointed out that concrete costs have skyrocketed this year, and our current estimates of concrete surfacing may be far too low. Bill Alt, representing the skate club, pointed out that it was city people who offered the suggestion of using concrete rather than asphalt. He recommended that we go ahead with asphalt this year as the way to make sure that a new surface is completed, as the existing plan provides.

b. Farnsworth moved, Jacobson seconded, that PRB authorize Ray Anderson to seek bids to replace the current tennis court with new "super-mix" asphalt during the 2006 budget year. Passed unanimously. With bids and scheduling in hand, PRB will decide when to take delivery on the equipment ordered.

7. (Moved to earlier in the Agenda)

8. Countryside Park update
a. Anderson reported that new playground equipment will be installed in late August.

b. Anderson showed a design and cost estimate for the new shelter/bathroom facilities in the park. He is estimating a cost of about $25-30K for materials for the shelter/bathroom plus running the utilities from the street. Juergens will request that the City Administrator draft a budget amendment to transfer an appropriate sum from the "Fees in Lieu of Parkland Dedication Fund". Following a request from Jacobson, Anderson will try to get a better cost estimate for the July PRB meeting. Hopefully at that meeting PRB will recommend to Finance and Labor Relations Committee and City Council that the amendment be approved.

c. Struck & Irwin has estimated the cost of removal of the fence along Water St and re-installation of its usable parts in the Skatepark area to be about $1600. This work will not be done until the new asphalt surface is completed in the Skatepark.

9. Aquatic Report: Rick Hamacher
a. Off to a good start on registrations - about 20 more family passes and 10 more individual passes have been sold already than for all of 2005. Jacobson requested exact figures be provided at next PRB meeting. Lesson sign-ups are going well.

b. The solar panels are working well to heat the water, better than expected. Already on some sunny days, the gas heater seldom goes on.

c. In response to a question about opening the pool on Memorial Day weekend, Hamacher said that this weekend is used for training life-guards and pool staff.

d. There are still the customary problems with graffiti.

10. Park Maintenance and Improvements: Ray Anderson.
a. The new bathrooms are still not done; it's hoped to complete the installation by July 4th. Exterior work on building is complete, walkways should be poured this week. Installing the fixtures will be done ASAP

b. Anticipate a lot of mud being dragged into all the bathroom facilities in the park, due to kids walking out into the lake bed, getting muddy, and then coming to those facilities to clean up. This is likely to be a significant maintenance problem until the lake is refilled.

c. Other than the mud problem, no significant vandalism has occurred at parks last month.

d. Resident Jeff Updike spoke to the issue of repairing the backstop of the lower diamond and of a general safety issue of children being close to the road in that area. He suggested that the diamond should be moved, to increase the distance to the outfield fences. This would allow for the possibility of softball tournaments returning to Evansville, perhaps as a money-raising enterprise. Someone suggested that the park road east of access to the Park garage be closed, gated, or even removed, as a solution to the traffic safety problem. This whole topic needs further study; Ray & Jeff will discuss it and perhaps bring a proposal to the July PRB meeting.

e. Residents of the Seminary Apartments have been encroaching their gardens onto park land.

11. Old Business:
Juergens requested that all Board members review the 1999 five-year plan and consider the generation of a new plan, since none was done in 2004. He requested that Ray Anderson look through the old plan and let PRB know at its July meeting which of the old plan's objectives have been accomplished. It is the chair's intention to develop a new 5-year plan by the end of 2006.

12 New Business.
a. The proposed map/plan for intracity bike paths was examined. The existing plan shows paths running through the current location of Theodore Robinson School and across the school yard at McKenna Middle School. It was proposed that these sections be eliminated and replaced with a path running from Fair St north on Third Street to Liberty Street, plus the path running on Liberty St, rather than Lincoln St and Fourth St. It may be necessary to pave a short section of bike path from the south end of Third St to Fair St.

The existing plan shows a bike path running the length of Water Street from Maple to East Main St. Water St. may be inadequate for a bike path, due to its narrow width, the fact that it is a truck route, lack of shoulders and striping. However the only other route to the east side of town is heavily-traveled East Main St. This presents a serious problem for cyclists who wish to access the businesses, Countryside Park, and residential areas on the east edge of town. Juergens commented that he rides on the sidewalk of East Main St when heading to the Pig and other businesses in the area. The PRB has no formal recommendation on this problem at this time; however an upgrade to Water Street should be considered.

b. "Ownership" of parks by PRB Members; this discussion was deferred.

c. Initial discussion of Capital Expenditures for 2007.

Juergens suggested that a "zero-base" budgeting approach be followed, rather than just assuming that, as has been the case in the past, PRB will receive a "standard" allocation of $50K of new capital money in the city budget. He pointed out that the "Fees in Lieu of Parkland Dedication" fund has been growing for years, and that this money can only be used for parks. About $160K was collected and only about $21K spent between the inception of these impact fees and the end of 2005. If we spend $30K of this money on Countryside bath/shelter this year, we will still have about $110K available for worthwhile park projects. It is likely that further fees will be collected in 2006. Some of the total amount available should be earmarked for the new West Side Park, in Juergens' opinion. Due to a new state law signed in April 2006, such impact fees cannot be collected on new developers' agreements.

Proposed projects. Not in order of priority; in most cases, no costs have yet been determined:

1. Add more solar panels to the pool's current expandable installation. $10K
2. Restore the badly-deteriorating creek beds and stone walls in Leonard/Leota Park. The Mayor pointed out that grant money is being sought to pay for a consultant to determine how best to restore these historic facilities. Restoration of the Bell Tower and other stonework in the park should be considered as well.
3. Add additional playground equipment to Countryside Park.
4. Add additional playground equipment, landscaping, and a small shelter (no bath) to Franklin Park.
5. Plant trees along the "back" side of the pool area, paralleling the railroad tracks, to block the view of the other side of the tracks. Appropriate trees are expected to cost about $100 each, and must be evergreen, so they don't "shed" into the pool.
6. Replace park signs with ones that are comparable to the sign welcoming people to Evansville, the one visible from Hwy 14 near the tank memorial in Leota Park.
7. Shingle the Boy Scout House in Leota Park.
8. Re-pave, rather than just re-seal, park roads in Leota Park.
9. Re-construct the lower diamond, as suggested earlier, in Leota Park.
10. Purchase a mower, build a storage shed, and blacktop the road in the new West-Side Park.
11. Upgrade the playground equipment in Brzezinski Park.
12. Place benches in Seminary Park and Wind Prairie Park.
13. Allocate money to develop a Dog Park.
14. Plant trees to enhance other parks.
15. Purchase a new piece of equipment for the Skate Park.

Some of these projects will be proposed for completion in 2007. Others will become part of the new 5-year plan that PRB will develop before the end of 2006.

13. The meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM.

Minutes drafted by Fred Juergens: June, 24, 2006. Minutes are not official until approved at a subsequent PRB meeting.

Catch-up

2006-06-22T12:36:00.000-05:00

Lots of stuff going on, and I don't seem to have the time to write on this blog as often as I'd like.

A. Council passed an amendment to its "order of business" on June 13th, providing more opportunity for residents to speak their minds at Council Meetings. It didn't go quite as far as I'd like, but it's an improvement. Details are in the Review, and if others want more detail, let me know and I'll try to write up some.

B. Park Board meeting Monday night -- I'll post the minutes, as soon as I write them.

C. Economic Development Committee meeting Tuesday night -- Two pretty sizeable topics:

1. Some discussion of the possible TID #6 -- keynoted by a presentation from the city's consultants on setting up such districts. This will be a major decision for the city -- how to share the inevitable risk of developing the land southeast of the intersection of Hwy 14 and Cty M on the city's east side for industrial and commercial use. Both the land-owners and the city want to minimize their share of the risk, but all of it has to be borne, so what's the best split? Determining whether this deal can go forward will be the subject of future negotiations -- there's no deal yet. Your input and/or questions are always welcome.

2. Bio-Diesel manufacturing in Evansville. We heard a presentation, similar to one given to the Plan Commission a week earlier, from Landmark Co-op and North Prairie Energy on this topic. Landmark is responding to a request for proposals issued by NPE on building a facility to make 30 million gallons/year of bio-diesel fuel. This is all in the talking stage right now, but if those two parties come to an agreement, this could be a big boost for Evansville. EDC is strongly behind such a possibility, and will work to help make it happen, to the extent we're able. Again, if you have input or questions, get in touch.

D. Some readers of this blog know that I also chair a local group called Citizens United of Union/Evansville (CUUE). That group and its activities are entirely separate from my service to Evansville as an alder. This blog relates only to that service, and I accept comments on this blog only if they relate directly to Evansville city government. Comments relating to CUUE sent here, to EvilleAlderFred, are routinely rejected as not germane.

Tempest in a Teapot -- Enough Already!

2006-06-06T12:16:00.000-05:00

When the Park & Recreation Board (PRB) began planning improvements to Franklin Park, one of the first things we noticed was that a new electrical pole had been placed in park land last summer during the construction of the Main/Union/Exchange St. intersection. This land was where the old Pizza Palace had been located. The city took title to this property maybe 6 years ago, I believe, but it really wasn't part of Franklin Park until that building was demolished as part of the construction.

Members of the board questioned why the pole was located where it was. The Water & Light Department said that they couldn't easily find the property line separating the city property from the residence at 239 E. Main St. Since that pole was intended to be temporary, they decided to locate it well within the city property rather than possibly encroaching on the private land to the east.

Since plans were afoot to improve the park, PRB requested a survey of the park so that we would know exactly where the property line was. The city paid for the survey since it involved city property, and it showed that the property line was to the east of where the owner of 239 had put a fence. The city contacted the property owner about his fence being on city land, and he didn't dispute the survey. He willingly agreed to move the fence on to his own property. It's done. Should be the end of the story, don't you think?

Nonetheless, some people have felt it necessary, though postings to this blog and perhaps elsewhere, to take the city to task in this incident, claiming that it's the city's responsibility to ensure that said fence was located properly when it was originally installed. Well, it's not. When building permits are issued, the onus is on the permit seeker to follow the conditions required by the permit. For a fence, the only regulation is that it be less than six feet high, and that is what is inspected.

It's the responsibility of a property owner to know the boundaries of his own property and to locate a structure properly within those boundaries. The fence was there before the Pizza Palace was demolished, and probably before the city acquired the property, although it's not worth my time to dig back into records and verify this. (If you have documentation to the contrary, I'll eat my words.) If the fence was located on Pizza Palace property, that's between the owner of PP and the owner of 239 -- and the city had no reason to intervene in a possible dispute between two private property owners. The city took an interest in accurately locating the property line only when planning for Franklin Park improvements began. And as I said above, the issue is resolved.

The city's building inspector does not measure set-backs; he is not a surveyor and is not qualified to make such measurements. He inspects structures, which he is trained to do, not lot lines. Right now, determining property-lines is the responsibility of a property owner. If some think that the city should assume surveying responsibilities for private properties in town, then these citizens should urge the city hire a licensed professional surveyor to do so and be willing to pay for this service through increased taxes.

Oh, one more thing -- I've lost my patience with anonymous complaints to this blog. Lets be clear: I don't have to publish any of the uninformed b.s. and personal attacks people hiding behind pseudonyms send me. It has nothing to do with guts and everything to do with people being held accountable for what they say. People who want to ensure that their future comments are published here will have to include with them both their name AND a telephone number. I will be responsive to legitimate citizen concerns, and those who identify themselves may get a phone call from me to discuss things off the blog before I publish. Those who don't have the guts to do so are subject to my whims, and may even be banned outright. If you don't like my controlling what I publish in my blog, call me and complain. Or start your own blog...

Citizen Input Requested!

2006-05-30T12:14:00.000-05:00

Next month, the Park & Recreation Board will begin discussing what capital improvements should be made to Evansville's parks in 2007. It's already time for planning the budget for 2007.

NOW is the time for any citizens who to make their wishes known about what THEY want for park improvements next year.

You can email me, or comment on this blog, or tell your alders or any city official, or come to the next PRB meeting (June 19th, 6pm at City Hall). There are lots of ways to make your voice heard. I urge you to do so in June or July, in plenty of time so that PRB can consider your requests, before making its request to City Council.

I've never been through a budget process, so I don't know how it's likely to go. I do expect, though, that if you don't ask for something, you don't get it. Let's hear from you.

May Park Board Meeting

2006-05-30T12:11:00.000-05:00

City of Evansville, Wisconsin
Park and Recreation Board Regular Monthly Meeting
May 15th, 2006, 6:00 PM

DRAFT Minutes of Discussion Session

1. Call to Order @ 6:05 PM & Roll Call: Chair Juergens and Members Krueger & Sendelbach present. Staff members Anderson & Hamacher present. Members Carlsen, Jacobson, Scott, & Merritt absent. NO QUORUM PRESENT; NO BUSINESS CAN BE TRANSACTED. REPORTS AND DISCUSSION ONLY.

2. Minutes of April 2006 meeting; approval deferred.

3. Citizen appearances other than agenda items:
a. Heidi Carvin, representing ECP, reported on plans for July 4th weekend festivities at Lake Leota Park, the parade, etc.
b. Ayn Steinlein, representing supporters of a proposed Dog Park, requested that PRB make establishment of a new Dog Park a higher priority in the future.

4. Lake Leota Park update.
a. Park Maintenance Supervisor Ray Anderson reported that Gransee gift installation is complete, and that school Agricultural Class will enhance the area with plantings.
b. Chair Juergens reported results of inquiry to neighbors of the park regarding music played through the night for the Relay for Life. 11 favor such music, 7 oppose. Member Krueger pointed out that with no quorum present, no change in current policy can be effected. Current policy is for music to stop at midnight, and that will be the case for this year.
c. Member Sendelbach presented a design from Kendall Wethal, City Forester, for renovating the entrance to the park at the north end of 2nd St. After discussion, it was decided to proceed with volunteers cleaning out the current plantings in the semi-circular bed there. A work date was set for May 20th, and volunteers will be sought to assist. Juergens reported that there has been an offer of a donation to the City to pay for some of the plants proposed.
d. Anderson presented a quote for materials for a possible bulletin-news kiosk near the drained Lake Leota, in the amount of about $2500. Juergens will pass this on to SOLE.
d. Juergens reported that Symdon Chevrolet has offered to donate money to the City to pay for planting some screening trees along the north edge of the park opposite the Symdon parking lot

5. Franklin Park update.
a. Anderson says new equipment has arrived and will be installed ASAP.
b. Member Sendelbach presented a design from Kendall Wethal, City Forester, for landscaping entrance to park.
c. It was suggested that plants be ordered with funds coming from current capital budget.
c. Resident Steinlein volunteered to coordinate planting.
d. Discussions with Craig Hay family, residing next to park, about moving his fence, will be undertaken by city staff.

6. Skate-park update;
a. Bill Alt, representing the Skate Club, said they wanted TrueRide equipment. He reported that he, PW director Dave Wartenweiler, and Juergens had inspected current surface of tennis court; kids have skated on it. Now there is some sentiment to reconsider whether the court should be resurfaced and when. No formal discussion was held. This will be discussed at the June PRB meeting.

7. West-side Park work:
a. Dave Sauer, City Engineer, presented a topo map of the current park and requested guidance on how to grade it.
b. Kitty Verkuilan, representing the Soccer Club, stated that the soccer fields should be as flat as possible.
c. Sauer will present a cost estimate for the grading-seeding at the next PRB meeting.

8. Countryside Park update:
a. Anderson reported that new playground equipment is here and will be installed ASAP. A porta-potti has been placed in the park, and older bleachers relocated here from Lake Leota Park. He has requested a quote from Struck&Irwin to remove the fence fronting on Water Street, and transfer usable portions to Lake Leota Park to complete fencing around the Skate-Park.
b.Anderson reported that plans for a new shelter are expected from the High School teacher in time for the June PRB meeting.

9. Aquatic Report: Rick Hamacher
a. registration for pool will begin weekend of May 20th.
b. The solar panels will be connected on May 17th.
c. Painting will be completed soon.

10. Improvements and Maintenance Report: Ray Anderson
a. Per request from PRB member Carlsen, the pier on the west side of Lake Leota was checked and found to be in more or less the same condition as it was in the past.
b. Other items in this report have been discussed previously.

11. Old Business. Nothing was discussed, since no quorum was present.

12. New Business.
a. A proposal to install other soda machines in Lake Leota Park in return for a cut of the proceeds was discussed briefly. Members present think it’s a bad idea.

13. Meeting Adjourned at 8:15 pm.

Fred Juergens, Park Board Chair, drafted these minutes. Since this was not an official meeting, no approval will be necessary, but they can be discussed and amended if appropriate at the next PRB meeting.

Why I Moderate Comments

2006-05-28T14:38:00.000-05:00

Several people have taken me to task for not posting every comment made by others to this blog in response to my postings. It seems to me they think they have the RIGHT to say any darn thing they want, and that I MUST post their opinions, whether there is any basis in reality or not.

Let me give you an example. If you refer to the minutes of the April Park Board meeting posted in this blog, there I wrote: "Dave Sauer, City Engineer, has placed flags indicating the boundaries of the {Franklin} park. It appears that during the survey it was discovered that fencing from an adjacent residence was placed in park property. Apparently the home-owner knows this and indicated as much to the people actually doing the survey."

I discussed this with Public Works Director Dave Wartenweiler, and he indicated weeks ago that he had a discussion with the homeowner, who said he would move the fence onto his property once he got over an injury. Dave said that was satisfactory to him, and I was satisfied too.

On May 12, I got this comment in my email:
"Sarah Kaether has left a new comment:
Why would some one actually say -yeah I know my fence is on city property,? That makes no sense and being I know who leaves there, I have serious doubts they knew it was on city property. The one fence has been their for years. Do you realize this is the city's screw up? If it is indeed on city property? Thats why people get building permits, they are suppose to be inspected when the work is done."

and three days later:
"Sarah Kaether has left a new comment:
the person involved with the fence issue at franklin park has hired a attorney, as it is the city's fault, as stated before it is the city's responsibility to check all work done on building permit work and they screwed up again and did not catch it. Fred have the guts to print the truth, not just what you want people to know. You are quickly becoming a joke."

I chose not to publish these two comments at the time. On May 15th, I spoke with another resident who lives next door to the homeowner in question and was again reassured that said homeowner was going to move his fence and that the resident knew of no possible legal action. I tried to call the homeowner but got no answer, and then I let the issue slide for a couple of weeks -- other things seemed more important.

Today, May 28th, as I was driving by the area, I noticed that two men were working at moving the fence. I stopped and spoke for 15 minutes or so with the homeowner. We talked about the whole situation. It was a friendly conversation. He told me about his conversation with Wartenweiler, about his back problem, etc. I asked him if he knew a Sarah Kaether, and he said "No". I asked him if he had even contemplated legal action against Evansville because of the fence issue, and he said "No."

People have a right to their own opinions, but they do not have a right to their own facts. Furthermore, they do not have a right to have their BS printed in my blog. Who is "Sarah Kaether"? That last name is not listed in the Evansville Phone Book. I used a couple of directory assistance programs on my computer, and found no Sarah Kaether living close by, though I did find some Kaethers living in Brooklyn, McFarland, Oregon, etc, and a lot more to the north of Madison. I did find a Sarah Kaether listed in Columbus, Wisconsin. Is our commentator a real person with a real concern about Evansville and its government? Sarah Kaether, whoever this semi-literate anonymous crackpot may be, clearly has no regard for the truth and may be totally delusional.

I have little but contempt for people who try to stir up trouble in this or any other fashion. Suspicious, nasty, ignorant comments will NOT be posted until I check them out. In this case, I'm publishing Sarah Kaether's comments to illustrate my point. You should know now, Sarah, (or whoever you are) that I do not take kindly to BS. You're welcome to call me and apologize.

I take my city responsibilities seriously. I did print the truth as best I knew it in those minutes, and I just verified what I've been told by talking face-to-face to the homeowner in question. Further, I'm reporting more of the truth here right now: the fence is being voluntarily moved with the clear good-will of all involved.

New Municipal Officials Workshop

2006-05-21T12:17:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, Alder Mason Braunschweig and I attended an all-day workshop in Madison sponsored by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. This workshop is one of three sponsored by LWM around the state each spring after local elections. LWM exists to provide services to all the cities and villages in the state. The topics for this workshop included:

• Governance powers that municipalities have and their source, whether in Constitutional, statutory or common law.
• Laws regarding possibilities of conflicts of interest. These first two topics were discussed the chief legal counsel of LWM.

• Budgeting and Finance Procedures, and a discussion of the sources of municipal revenue to provide the services our citizens want. This material was presented by the Village Manager of Brown Deer.

• Procedures for Meetings, so that all the "Open Meeting" laws are followed and citizens can know what their representatives are doing. A professor from UW-Extension's Local Government Center led this part of the program.

• Managing Public Works, the physical assets of the municipalities. A professor from the Wisconsin Transportation Information Center at the UW-Madison's Engineering College was the presenter.

In addition to the presentations and discussions, we were presented with a 175 page book elaborating on each of the presentations. Talk about information overload! Some of the material presented was somewhat familiar to me, since I had four months under my belt as a Alder appointee prior to last April's election. Nonetheless, to get a comprehensive overview of the responsibilities I have as an Alder was a bit overwhelming.

At lunch I had a long talk with an alder from Fitchburg, newly re-elected after a long hiatus away from city government. I got a lot of good ideas from him. Networking with people in other municipalities can result in a very healthy sharing of ideas. I looked for attendees from Milton too, but never encountered them.

One thing I'm learning is that the requirements of open-ness and transparency in local government gives rise to a general slowness in getting things done. For example, alders can almost never have private conversations among themselves about issues. The monthly meetings, held in the public eye, are where we must discuss things before coming to decisions. That's to protect us from accusations of "secret deals" etc, and to ensure that you the citizens have access to the decision-making process.

Another thing I learned was the cost-effectiveness of maintaining our existing public facilities, [roads, water supply, sewers, parks, buildings and equipment] in good-to-excellent condition, rather than taking the penny-wise&dollar-foolish approach of letting them deteriorate to a point where repairs are so expensive we can't afford them in one year's budget. [We may be at that point with regard to the maintenance of the stone walls lining Allen Creek in Lake Leota Park. The long-time neglect of the lake itself is presenting the possibility of a huge restoration cost.] Even as we do our best to hold the line on spending, we must maintain the primary physical assests of our city on a regular basis; it's just cheaper overall, and the quality of these assets will remain higher on average.

Fortunately, in Evansville, I believe that our professional staff (administrators, department heads, financial experts, attorneys, and engineers) can guide us new alders as we learn about the actual nuts and bolts of governing our city. My experience so far has been that they're all extremely helpful. Of course, I and the seven other alders are ultimately responsible for making governance decisions. And (more) of course, you the citizens are ultimately responsible for electing alders who will serve your interests and the overall best interests of Evansville.

If you have any questions about any of the topics above, please don't hesitate to contact me or your own alderman. I'll get you the best answers I can.

News about Evansville Parks

2006-05-21T11:45:00.000-05:00

The newly purchased playground equipment for Franklin Park and Countryside Park has arrived in Evansville. It will be installed as soon as the Public Works Department staff can get to it. Since soccer has started at Countryside, a portable toilet has been placed there, and some bleachers moved there from Lake Leota Park. The bleachers will be refurbished soon.

Half a dozen volunteers worked hard to clear out the over-grown, weedy plantings at the 2nd Street entrance to Lake Leota Park yesterday. City Forester Kendall Wethal designed a new planting scheme incorporating many of the existing plants, but a lot was taken out. We discovered a plaque under the accumulation of many years' growth. It reads: "Planted May 15, 1937 in memory of Fred Wilder."

Fred Wilder was a long-time care-taker of Lake Leota Park, according to Ruth Ann Montgomery, and an important figure in the park's history. She told me that a spruce tree was also planted in Wilder's memory; his tree is still there and in good shape. The plaque will be moved to a more prominent location. Unfortunately, the Wilder name is no longer among those of Evansville residents.

Replanting of new perennial and annual plant material will occur at Lake Leota Park very soon, according to Wethal's design. Some of the removed bulbs, etc, will be replanted near the swimming pool.

For Franklin Park as well, we have a planting design from Mr. Wethal to enhance the Main Street entrance to the park. Early indications are that people in the neighborhood will be contacted to help prepare the ground and put in plant materials soon. Ask me for details if you're interested in helping.

The surveying work has been done at WestSide park by engineers from Foth&VanDyke. They will give us an estimate of the cost of grading the area for two soccer fields at the June 19th Park Board Meeting. Dirt will have to be moved to flatten the area appropriately for the fields. The Soccer Club has volunteered to cover the additional cost of special turf-grass seed, which is tougher than "regular" grass, for those fields. If the cost estimate comes in near budget, contracts will be sought to complete the work of grading and seeding by early September. That way new grass can get a good foothold before the cold weather comes.

A new handicapped-accessible picnic table, two very nice park benches and a trash receptacle have been installed on a concrete pad in Lake Leota park, across the road from the Bell Tower. The pad is reached by a concrete "sidewalk" from the road. This facility is the gift to the City of Evansville from longtime resident Larry Gransee in memory of his late wife. Rather than "ordinary grey" concrete, the pad & walkway are dyed a tan color; the coloring itself was a donation from the concrete contractor, Allen Custom Flatwork, Inc. The city owes a debt of gratitude to Mr. Gransee and to Mr. Kyle Allen.

At the last Park & Recreation Board meeting (for which minutes will be published here soon) a citizen asked about the status of a long-discussed Dog Park. Frankly, that hasn't been high on the PRB's list of priorities, since there was no money in this year's budget for the project. As we complete pending projects, we will consider how to get new ones going. All citizens interested in a future Dog Park are urged to contact me. PRB needs to be reminded of what you want for a facility and what expectations you have of the city.

Next month PRB will begin discussing what projects should be funded with city money in 2007. Your input is critical to planning our budget and expenditures for next year. Please come forward NOW. The budget process is starting, and if you wait until next fall, it may be too late to influence 2007's plans. Remember, within limits, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Help your Friends. Spiff Up our City.

2006-05-20T07:31:00.000-05:00

The Evansville Community Partnership is springing into action! Now that warm(er!) and hopefully drier weather is here, ECP invites you to participate in its

2006 SPRING Downtown Clean-Up

Date: Tuesday May 23rd
Time: 8:30-10:30
Please meet on the lawn of the Eager Free Public Library

Supplies and tools donated by the Evansville Community Partnership

Please contact Nancy Lee Greve-Shannon at 882-0652 to volunteer!

The Evansville Park and Recreation Board is also working on some clean-up and improvement projects, namely at the north end of 2nd St where there's a garden spot that needs work and a new planting project at Franklin Park. Call me, Fred, at 882-2489, to learn more about how you can help us with these two.

City Council Meeting, May 9, 2006

2006-05-10T10:16:00.000-05:00

Several topics aired last night caused me to think. Admittedly some of the Council's business is purely routine -- like approving the payment of the city's bills; it's got to be done, but at Council level, it's pretty much automatic. On the other hand, changing municipal code provisions that address, for example, how commentary from the public may be received by the Council require careful consideration.

State Law does not require Council to receive public commentary except at a mandated public hearing for which proper notice is given, for example the final adoption of the city's operating budget. Most commentary is at the generosity of the Council. There is a provision in our current ordinance for "persons" to speak early in each Council meeting "on any matter...at the discretion of the presiding officer". There's been interest in changing this from a discretionary permission to speak to ensuring a citizen's right to speak. I think this is a step in the right direction.

An ordinance change was discussed at the Finance & Labor Relations Committee last Monday May 8th, and the there was some sentiment to modify the original proposed ordinance change, which would have granted such a right, with a time limit of 5 minutes per person. During discussion at FLR, concern was expressed that 5 minutes per person could result in really long meetings, that speaking only early in meetings might not be the best choice (rather, should a person speak during the Council's discussion of an agenda item the person wished to address?) etc. FLR directed the City Administrator to amend the original amendment. Next evening, a revised amendment came to Council, together with two further amendments that the Administrator had drafted just that morning. Discussion ensued among Council members.

I, for one, got caught up in the discussion and also listened to public commentary invited by the Mayor. But as matters proceeded, I felt that Council was trying to modify amendments, changing 5 minutes to two or three, and things were getting really confusing for me as to what was actually being proposed. I didn't want to vote on a proposal that had received little thoughtful consideration at committee level, and too many ideas were floating about to suit me. So I moved to refer the entire matter back to FLR for further consideration. Council agreed unanimously. So now FLR members (Cothard, Braunschweig, me) individually will have a few weeks to think about this. Hopefully FLR will discuss all the options available at its next meeting, perhaps even some new ones, and come up with an ordinance that will reflect their thorough consideration. I invite citizen commentary to me before the June 12th FLR meeting.

The next item requiring thought was an ordinance modification relating to licenses to sell alcoholic beverages in Evansville. The current city ordinance regarding sale for off-premises consumption allows for a license to sell fermented malt beverages (beer, basically) only if the the license holder also has a license to sell other forms of liquor such as distilled spirits and wine. The number of "spirits&wine" licenses is regulated by state law to be one license per 1200 population, and currently Evansville has three such licenses: one at the Pig, one at the Citgo, and one recently purchased by Gas 'n Go from Ringhand Meats. So they're the only three places in town to buy beer as well. However, there is no state law regarding how many beer-only licenses may be granted; that's governed only by local ordinance.

The city was asked to modify its current ordinance to separate the beer license from the spirits&wine license, so that more than the current three beer licenses could be issued. This request came from the owners of the All-in-One convenience store on South Madison St. The Council's Public Safety Committee had approved the request for ordinance change. I was contacted before Council meeting by two parties immediately affected by the proposed change: owners of Gas'nGo and All-in-One. I believe other Council members were also.

There are two issues that need consideration here. The first is: should local government artificially restrict competition among businesses beyond that required by state law? Restricting the number of beer licenses to three would do that, in my opinion. The second is, would a great proliferation of beer licenses occur, with attendant problems of easier access to beer by minors, gaudy signage, etc? I think the answer to that is "no"; any establishment wishing to get a beer license must still apply to the city, and the city can restrict the numbers at beer licenses at that point by refusing to grant "too many". Exactly what "too many" means is open to interpretation, of course. Some people may think three is too many, some may think four is too many, some may think there should be a beer outlet on every corner.

The owners of Gas'nGo and All-in-One both addressed the council, respectively opposing and supporting the ordinance change. I'm willing to allow for the possibility of at least one more beer license in Evansville, and so I voted in favor of the change. It passed 6-1, with Alder Wyse abstaining because of a possible conflict of interest.

In addition to these ordinance considerations, Council heard a presentation from Wisconsin Public Power, Inc. Our Evansville Electric Utility contacted WPPI to learn about the benefits of our joining this 40-member consortium of small public electric utilities. It seems like a good deal on first hearing, but much study is needed before Council makes a decision on whether to join. The members of the Council's Water and Light Committee have the most information on benefits and costs for such a move (Cothard, Wessels, Sornson), but I would be glad to discuss what I know and share the materials I have with any concerned citizen before a decision is made.

The Mayor also appointed a 6-member Study Committee to investigate how to regulate (or not) outdoor furnaces in Evansville. It appears that the appointees cover a wide range of interests in such furnaces, and I look forward to hearing the results of their work.

Other business at the Council was more or less routine, but if citizens have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Special Common Council Meeting 4/28

2006-04-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

Last night's meeting occurred because, at the 4/18 Re-organizational meeting, the Council did not confirm Mayor Decker's appointments to the Plan Commission and the Fire District Board. As well, a minor parliamentary error in confirming an appointment to the Redevelopment Authority needed rectification.

The problems were solved, though not without some rather arcane applications of Council rules and Roberts' Rules of Order. The details are not important, perhaps, to the public. The Mayor and Common Council President Cothard, with guidance from the City Attorney and City Administrator, went through a scripted series of motions and votes, some of which were were not on the agenda, to accomplish the following results:

The confirmed aldermanic appointments to The Plan Commission are Bill Hammann and Mason Braunschweig. Tony Wyse, listed on the agenda as a possible appointment to PC, declined before Braunschweig was confirmed.

The confirmed aldermanic appointments to the Fire District Board are Dennis Wessels and Diane Roberts, with John Sornson and me as alternates.

Because appointment to the Redevelopment Authority requires an 80% vote of the entire Common Council and only 6 of the 8 alders (75%) were at the 4/18 meeting, the earlier unanimous confirmation of Chris Eager to RA was invalid. At this meeting, with all 8 members present and voting, Eager's appointment was confirmed, again unanimously.

My take on the meeting: I think the best interests of the city were served by this meeting's results. The earlier appointment problems may have resulted from lack of precision on the part of the involved parties as to what was said in conversation, what was actually intended, & what was understood. General forthrightness, so that there are no last-minute surprises, should be a given. The lessons, if learned, will serve the Council well.

Though I was initially confused by some of the parliamentary maneuvering that was not on the agenda, I went along with it because, in this case, I sensed that the end result would justify the means. I think it would have been a great loss had Bill Hammann, with his prior experience on Plan Commission, been forced off. Not to say that both the agenda's stated nominees may not have grown into the job, but Wyse and Braunschweig are brand new alders and the learning curve for any new position is steep. I think PC needs at least one aldermanic "old hand" to work with the Mayor and the citizen appointees. My guess is that Wyse was on the appointment list as a fall-back appointment, had Council failed to resolve the problem of how to retain Hammann. Then, had Wyse not declined, Council may have had a problem with two nominees for the single remaining PC position. That was a solvable problem, but it didn't occur.

So Braunschweig is on both PC and the Finance & Labor Relations Committee. I wish him well. Roberts stays on Fire District Board, a position she has held in the past. I think we can move forward, with lessons learned all around.

Citizenry, let us know how you think we're doing. Remember, we're here to serve you, who elected us.

Water Problems?

2006-04-26T11:01:00.000-05:00

I've been following, admittedly not very closely, the discussion about detention ponds, plan commission decisions, final/not_final agreements, etc, on other blogs.

I'm aware that at least some of the concerned residents live in my Aldermanic District. I would like to get up-to-date on the situation as the residents see it.

I invite direct emails to me or comments on this post (your names, addresses, phone numbers, please) so that we can set up a meeting (with me for sure and perhaps the other alder for District #2, Tom Cothard) to address these concerns. I'd physically like to get on site with you, see the situation, learn the history, and understand as best as I am able the potential future problems.

So -- Grumps, Matt Gaboda, Mark Schnepper, and all other concerned citizens, please get in touch. Talk among yourselves, sure, but by all means, talk to me. Even though I'm not on Plan Commission, I will do my best to represent you when issues come to Council. I can't do that if I don't know what the situation is. At the last Council meeting, I voted following the recommendations of the Plan Commission. Should I have known better? Perhaps. Educate me.

Volunteers Needed

2006-04-25T13:48:00.000-05:00

The Evansville Park & Recreation Board (PRB) is looking for volunteers (individual/groups/organizations) who are willing to help plant and maintain flowerbeds throughout our local parks and/or to make monetary donations to cover planting expenses.

An informational and organizational meeting will be held in Lake Leota Park at the Upper Park Shelter near the corner of Grove Street and North Second Street on
Saturday, May 6th, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. Please come and bring your friends and neighbors.

If you are interested in participating and can not attend this meeting, please contact either PRB member Karla Sendelbach, 882-6587 or me, Fred Juergens, 882-2489.

Your support will be greatly appreciated.

PRB is a seven-member citizen committee appointed by the Mayor of Evansville. An alderman chairs the committee, and it's one of my responsibilities. PRB is charged with responsibility for the policies, planning and decision-making concerning Evansville’s public parks. The PRB always welcomes input from citizens interested in improving Evansville’s park system.

Park Board - April 2006 meeting

2006-04-22T16:08:00.000-05:00

DRAFT Minutes
Park and Recreation Board Regular Monthly Meeting
April 17, 2006, 6:00 PM

1. Call to Order @ 6:00PM and Roll Call: Chair Juergens, and Members Krueger, Carlsen, Jacobson, Scott, & Merritt present. Staff members Anderson & Hamacher present. Member Sendelbach absent.

1a. The Chair’s request move of item #6 to just after item #3 was approved unanimously on a voice vote.

2. Voice approval of minutes of February and March, 2006 meetings was unanimously given.

3. Citizen appearances other than listed Agenda items.

Jenny Nehls, 6702 Abey Ct., representing Relay For Life discussed the plans for this year’s event, to take place June 16-17 at Lake Leota Park. Details of how the park’s facilities will be utilized will be finalized with Ray Anderson, Park Maintenance Supervisor. A new feature of this year’s event is a request for DJ music playing at a lowered volume between midnight and dawn, if there are no objections from neighborhood residents. Chair Juergens will take this up with residents of Grove St and Eager Ct, since they would seem to be most affected by such a request. A update will be presented at the May PRB meeting.

6. Skate-Park Update

a. The Chair reported that City Council has approved the budget transfer of $10,000; we now have a total of $25,000 to work with, including $5,000 promised by the Skate Club. The resolution that passed Council requires the Skate Club to turn its full contribution over to the city in time to pay the invoice after equipment is delivered. That has been assured by adults supervising the group.

b. The Skate Club has a new quote from TrueRide, reducing the price about $460 from their previous figure.

c. The Skate Club has a quote from Gerber Leisure Products, which is representing another ramp manufacturing company-- Skatewave; it’s in the same ball park pricewise as TrueRide. A representative from Gerber, Bob Szalkowski, attended the meeting and presented material concerning Skatewave products. He also brought a ramp structure on a trailer parked outside City Hall. After the presentation, members of the Skate Club, including Bill and Mary Ann Alt, 216 W. Main St., inspected the structure and reported that it appeared to be first-quality. The Skate Club was instructed to do whatever is necessary to decide between the two vendors and report back to the Park Board as soon as possible.

d. According to the city’s Public Works Department, the new surface for the Skate Park will not be worked on until the ground is thoroughly thawed. Only when a definite schedule for completing this surface has been established will the equipment be ordered.

4.Lake Leota Draw-down Update

a. Presentation by SOLE: Troy Larson, member of SOLE and an engineer employed by Strand Associates, discussed the intent of the draw-down begun last September and the results learned so far. The intent had a number of components, which are summarized below:
1. Compact the Sediment. This was deemed successful; measurements by SOLE indicate that the sediment-drying has lowered the lake bottom by 4-6 inches.
2. Remove rough fish that roil the sediment when the lake is full. This was deemed successful; about 2000-3000 carp were removed last fall as the water level dropped.
3. Remove, or cause to die, undesirable water-plant growth. This was deemed successful, since it appeared there was little plant material on the lake bottom.
4. Assess the Structural Integrity of the dam. This was deemed successful; the City engineer found only a small cosmetic crack in the dam structure, which can easily be caulked to preclude further damage.
5. Assess the quality of the water. This assessment is pending. Initial water turbidity studies have been done, but until the lake is refilled, it will be impossible to get a before-after assessment
6. Repair the dam’s sluice gate. This was deemed successful, as the gate worked perfectly, and no repairs were needed. However, it was also discovered that the bottom of the sluice gate is higher than expected, and this makes complete de-watering of the lake more difficult.
7. Assess the amount and nature of the sediment. This is incomplete. Until the lake-bottom is de-watered to the maximum extent possible, it’s difficult to know how thick the sediment is, resting on the "true" bottom of the lake. One discovery of the draw-down is that as many as 11 springs may be putting water into the lake; the water is not coming solely from Allen Creek and rain/snow-fall. As a result of these springs, the bottom is not drying as fast as it had been hoped. Channels may have to be dug from these springs to the still-flowing water coming upstream from Allen Creek in order to assist in further dry-out.
8. Overall the project is incomplete, and SOLE is requesting engineering help from the city to complete the dewatering of the lake, perhaps by siphoning water over the sluice-gate or through other means.

SOLE is recommending that the lake be kept dry for another year or so, so that further sediment compaction may occur, and so that the sediment may dry further to permit heavy equipment to get into the lake to dig out sediment. At the present time, no one will go out into the lake bed for a test excavation and risk getting their equipment stuck in the muck that is still present. Several private concerns have expressed interest in obtaining dredged sediment when it can be extracted. Selling such sediment may reduce the overall cost to the city for this project. SOLE is also requesting that the city assist in raising public awareness of the need to keep the lake dry this summer. If the lake were to be refilled to regain the short-term aesthetics of a full lake during summer 2006, the draw-down process would just have to be repeated in the future and time before the lake is restored would be lost.

b. Public Hearing, focusing on the recreational value of Lake Leota itself in the recent past, and also, the impact on Leota Park and its users if the lake is left dry during 2006.

The Public Hearing opened at 6:45 pm

1. Brad Fahlgren, 14016 Northridge Drive, suggested that a billboard or other signage be erected to educate the public as to why the lake is dry and to explain the long-term advantages of leaving it dry during this summer.

2. Rodney Courtier, 240 Kinsey Court, expressed concern about shallow puddles in the drawn-down lake becoming a breeding ground for mosquitos this summer.

3. Betsey Ahner, 20 S. First St, and representing Evansville Community Partnership, expressed concern about the lake-bottom’s appearance affecting the ECP’s plan for a big July 4th celebration this summer. She asked if it could be filled for that weekend and then drained again. Some discussion ensued, and it was explained that filling would take probably two weeks, and emptying again after the 4th another two weeks, perhaps losing a lot of ground in the drying/compaction process. She also raised safety concerns – how to keep people off the muck so they don’t get stuck there during the July 4th weekend, when there will be a large number of people in the park.

4. Sandy Decker, 143 W. Main St., raised questions about what the public will think if the lake isn’t filled. Weddings and other events have been planned to use the park this summer, and it’s not clear that people making those plans have been apprised of the possibility that the lake may be dry.

5. Kelly Gildner, N. Hwy 14, and a SOLE member, urged that the process be continued using the best technical knowledge available, not taking a step backward by filling the lake to satisfy some short-term desires. Reclaiming the lake is needed for the long term, and we should push the process forward. There was no promise made to fill the lake for the summer of 2006 at the meeting last July 2005, when the draw-down was presented to the public. Others, including the Chair, chimed in to report that their recollection of that meeting was that, if the lake were drawn down, that a decision on what to do next would be made in Spring 2006, and that that decision was not fore-ordained.

6. Nancy Greve-Shannon, 131 S. Third St, reported that ECP doesn’t want to stand in the way of the best method of reclaiming the lake, but that safety is an issue. Perhaps a “life-guard” needs to be present at the lake-front, particularly during the July 4th weekend.

7. Other people also spoke during the public hearing, including Troy Larson, Jim Turner, Randy Rinehart, and there were further comments from some people mentioned above. Items mentioned included the 2-year time frame that the DNR allows the lake to be below its “official” level, the short time allowed for dredging and cost of such a permit, once dredging is deemed the appropriate way to proceed, a description of a possible siphoning process, signs to warn of the dangers of the mud, whether the lake could be habitat for better quality fish in the future, etc. The discussion proceeded until the Chair felt that all interested parties had full opportunity to express their views

8. Chair Juergens read into the record a letter from Ms. Sherri Savchuk, 34 N. Prentice Street, pointing out that if the lake is not restored, its future as it silts up even further, will be as a wetland, and DNR may possibly designate it as “protected”, so we won’t be able to get the lake back. She urged the long-term effects be considered before making a decision on how to treat the lake this summer.

The Public Hearing was closed at 7:15 pm.

c. Discussion by Park Board membership ensued. It was pointed out that safety is an issue whether the lake is dry or full, and that parents should watch over their children in any case. The diligent work by a few SOLE members to learn as much about the lake during the draw-down period and to further the de-watering process should not be wasted.

Member Barbara Jacobson moved and member Ron Carlsen seconded a motion, the sense of which is as follows:

The Park and Recreation Board recommends to the Public Works Committee and the Evansville City Council the following:
• that Lake Leota be allowed to continue to dry out during the summer of 2006 so that more bottom compaction may occur and that possible dredging options may be investigated,
• that a decision on when to re-fill the lake be made only after all best-practice methods of increasing the lake's depth have been explored, following guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, engineering experts, and other interested parties, and
• that the entire City official establishment make vigorous efforts to educate the public as to the reasons for this recommendation, as those reasons have become clearer since the lake was drawn down.

The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote. The motion will be passed on to Public Works and City Council at their next regular meetings, as appropriate.

5. Franklin Park Update;

a. Ray Anderson reported that the equipment has been ordered, and delivery is expected in a week or so. It will be installed with the assistance of other members of the Public Works staff as soon as possible after that.

b. Dave Sauer, City Engineer, has placed flags indicating the boundaries of the park. It appears that during the survey it was discovered that fencing from an adjacent residence was placed in park property. Apparently the home-owner knows this and indicated as much to the people actually doing the survey. The chair will begin a discussion with the home-owner about how to remedy this situation.

c. Member Carlsen asked about repairs to the sidewalk. This has been brought to the attention of the PW Department; it will be mentioned to the Director again by the Chair.

6. Skate-Park Update (Discussed earlier in the meeting.)

7. West-Side Park work for 2006;

a. No actual work has been done on engineering prior grading the soccer field surface. Barbara Jacobson reported that she’s seen some work going on at the park. The City engineer reported (after this meeting) that work is currently focusing on getting the access to the new well house improved and grading a drainage ditch. Other work will begin soon.

b. Brad Fahlgren, 14016 Northridge Drive, and Kitty Verkuilan, 14357 W. Golf Air Drive, both representing the Soccer Club, requested assistance, as appropriate, in going forward with the soccer fields at the West Side Park. They also indicated their willingness to assist the city, as appropriate, in moving the project forward so that grading and seeding is done with turf appropriate for a soccer field. They reported that the club has a continuing problem maintaining the fields they use now and having enough field capacity for the growing number of people who play soccer in Evansville. They wanted reassurances that the field area would be designed to be appropriate for soccer, without crowning, etc. Such assurances were given. They would like the fields to be ready as soon as possible for play.

8. Countryside Park Update

a, Ray Anderson reported that equipment for this park is expected to be delivered with the materials for Franklin Park, and that installation will proceed as soon as practical. It is also likely that old bleachers from Lake Leota Park will be refurbished and installed adjacent to the soccer fields in Countryside Park.

b. Ray Anderson reported that he has discussed the possibility of building a shelter with toilet facilities for Countryside Park with the teacher at the high-school (Rob Kestrone (spelling?)) who supervised the almost-complete bathrooms at Lake Leota Park. This teacher is expected to have a plan and estimated cost available by the next PRB meeting. If PRB decides to go ahead, it is likely that a pad may be poured for this facility later this summer.

c. The chair asked Mr. Fahlgren and Ms. Verkuilan, as active users of Countryside Park, about their opinion of removing the fence facing Water St. They indicated they thought it was a good idea, that with the fence as it is currently, it gets very muddy at the two small entrances to the park when it rains. They pointed out that other parks in the city are not fenced off from sidewalks or streets as Countryside is.

9. Aquatic Report:

Rick Hamacher, Aquatic Director: The pool will open on time; registration materials will be mailed out with May water and light bills. Repairs and touch-up painting will all be complete. The solar panel project is under construction. He reminded the PRB that this is a demonstration project, and will result in a 3-4% savings in heating costs for the pool. He further mentioned that to reap significant benefits, the 2007 budget must contain $10-15K to expand the solar heating system. He has hired a Park Store Manager, Tammy Pomplun, and an assistant manager.

10. Improvements and Maintenance Report:

Ray Anderson, Park Maintenance Supervisor, reported that the new handicap-accessible picnic table facility has been re-located to near the stone shelter across the street from the bell tower. The donor of this facility, Mr. Larry Gransee, is happy with the decision to relocate, made because of concerns that tree roots in the original location might have been damaged. Concrete for pad and sidewalk is being poured this week. Kyle Allen, the contractor, has donated colorant for this project. The chair will contact Mr. Allen to thank him for his generosity.

It was also reported that the new bathrooms near the ball field are almost complete, that putting the cultured stone on the outside is taking much more time than originally anticipated. The plan is to complete the project by the end of the school year, and in a worst-cast scenario, by the July 4th activities in the park.

11. Old Business;

a. Volunteers for public garden spaces. The Chair reported that no progress has been made on this project.

b. The Chair reported that he expects to be appointed to the Council’s Finance and Labor Relations Committee. He will raise the questions about the Dollar-level above which bids need to requested for capital equipment purchases and how much the Park Maintenance Supervisor may spend without requesting authority from the PRB once that appointment is confirmed.

12. New Business:

a. Member Carlsen mentioned that skate-park signage may possibly be done by workers at Oakhill Correctional Institution. They have made signs in the past for just the cost of materials. Ray Anderson will investigate this further as the Skate Park project progresses, so that signs there will match other signs in Lake Leota Park.

b. The Chair requested that Ray Anderson also look into the costs of preparing a kiosk-type facility near Lake Leota to display information about why the lake is to be dry during the summer of 2006..

13. Motion to Adjourn at 8:07 pm was made and accepted unanimously.

Minutes drafted on April 19, 2006, by Fred Juergens, Park and Recreation Board Chair. MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVED AT A FUTURE PRB MEETING.

Council Re-Org Meeting; Part Two

2006-04-21T17:07:00.000-05:00

After the issue of the official city newspaper was resolved, the next item of business for the Council to take up was confirmation of the Mayor's appointments to the various committees, boards and commissions.

The Mayor Decker proposed that all appointments of alders to various bodies be considered as a group, but Alder Cothard objected, saying he wished to separate out at least three of the Council Committee appointments. (I shall not list all those appointments here, but they may be found at
www.evansvilleobserver.blogspot.com

or by inquiring at City Hall.) Here are the three to be considered separately:

A. Motion to approve the Mayoral appointment of Ald. Roberts as Chair and Ald. Braunschweig and Ald. Juergens as committee members to the Finance and Labor Relations Committee.
B. Motion to approve the Mayoral appointment of Ald. Hammann and Ald. Roberts to the Plan Commission.
E. Motion to approve the Mayoral appointment of Ald. Braunschweig and Ald. Wessels to the Evansville Fire District Board, and Ald. Cothard and Ald. Sornson as alternates.

After Motion A was made, discussion ensued. I'm not sure I can reproduce it all, but if memory serves, Ald. Roberts declined to serve as chair of the Committee, and Ald. Cothard objected to "new" alders on the Finance Committee, since I & Braunschweig have not been through a budget process. I can report that I will serve as best I can, if confirmed, in whatever capacity Mayor Decker deems appropriate; she consulted with me prior to appointing me. I assume she did the same with the other two appointees. Ald. Roberts had previously served on Finance, with Ald. Cothard and with former Committee Chair Ald. Aikman. I'm not privy to details of conversations between Roberts and Decker, but at best it seems there was mis-communication as to the Mayor's intentions to appoint Roberts as chair and Roberts' willingness to serve as chair. There was tension in the air. It seemed inappropriate to confirm the Mayor's appointments, if one of the appointees declined to serve, so the motion was voted down 0-6. After a brief recess, the Mayor appointed "Ald. Cothard as Chair and Ald. Braunschweig and Ald. Juergens as committee members to the Finance and Labor Relations Committee." In my opinion, Ald. Roberts and Ald. Cothard seemed taken aback by this action. However, on a roll-call vote, the motion was approved 5-1. (I regret that I don't recall who cast the negative vote, but that should appear in the meeting minutes when they're published.)

After Motion B was made, Ald. Roberts declined to serve on the Plan Commission. Again a vote of 0-6 defeated the motion. No substitute appointments were offered by the Mayor. Tension increased.

After Motion E was made, Ald. Braunschweig did not formally decline to serve, but he did state that he didn't run for City Council to be appointed to the Fire District Board. This motion failed on a 3-3 vote. No substitute appointments were offered by the Mayor.

The Mayor announced that she would defer making Council appointments to the Plan Commission and to the Fire District Board and that she would call a special council meeting after she has had a chance to re-think the situation.

The remainder of the Aldermanic appointments to seven other committees were brought forward for confirmation as a group and voted on. As a group, they passed unanimously.

Next, the Council was asked to approve the Mayor's appointments of citizens to various committees, commissions and boards. She requested that they be approved as a group. This was done without incident, by a 6-0 vote.

The next item on the agenda was "communications from the Mayor". I frankly have forgotten what she said, because my head was still buzzing from the difficulties relating to Motions A, B, and E above.

Under New Business, the Council voted 5-1 to authorize the city's firm, Foth and Van Dyke, to perform a traffic impact analysis study regarding development north and south of USH 14 east of CTH M. The cost of this analysis is $18,500, and is a pre-requisite for the proposed commercial/industrial park south of Hwy 14. The major concern is where a road into this proposed park will be built. The State Department of Transportation has a significant say in the matter; discussions among city officials and DOT, the Governor's office, and our Assemblyman Brett Davis, are ongoing. It's a very complicated situation, and I feel that I don't know enough about it at this point to comment further.

The meeting adjourned.

My take on this part of the meeting: There was very little honeymoon as the new Council convened. I have not talked to Mayor Decker, Ald. Cothard or Ald. Roberts to attempt to discover why these appointment problems occurred. I think that both alders' actions surprised the Mayor. It seems to me that all nine of us, eight alders and the Mayor, must find a way to work together for the good of Evansville. It is quite possible that different visions of "the good of Evansville" exist, and hopefully, if these are brought out into the open, the elected officials can move forward.

It is well known that Ald. Cothard backed the mayoral bid of Karen Aikman; he wore the only "Aikman" button I saw during the entire campaign. Lingering bad feelings between Mayor Decker and Ald. Cothard, if they exist, may make the jobs of city officials, both elected and appointed, more difficult. I hope they can be resolved, for the good of the city.

Ald. Roberts' actions completely surprised me. She has the second-longest tenure of any sitting council member (Ald. Cothard has served the longest) & should know what's going on. The mayor must have thought she would do a good job on Finance Committee and Plan Commission, or those important appointments would not have been made in the first place. I think one should trust Mayor Decker's decisions on appointments; after all she was elected by the citizens of Evansville by a wide margin. She has to fit together the puzzle of who, both new and returning members, is on Council, what committees need what talent, and make the choices she sees fit. Ald. Roberts' wish not to serve increases the committee load on the remaining alders.

I hope all this will be resolved before the special council meeting to come. Ald. Hammann mentioned to me after the meeting that he thought this meeting was going to be a slam-dunk easy one, but that he's seen similar problems with mayoral appointments in the past. Maybe it's all part of the learning process for new city officials, as they assert themselves to officials of longer tenure. I do not know if I should try to play a part at this point in smoothing things out. To be honest, though, I'd hate to see infighting that diminishes our ability to get things done. Stay tuned...

Council Re-Org Meeting; Part One

2006-04-21T10:46:00.000-05:00

A special Common Council meeting took place on Tuesday 4/18 to reorganize itself with the new Mayor, Sandy Decker, two new alders, Mason Braunschweig and Tony Wyse, and John Sornson and myself as returning alders.

After swearing in and election of Tom Cothard as Common Council President, the next order of business was a motion to appoint an official city newspaper for one year. Staff had distributed to the alders documents outlining the payments (over $10,000) from the Evansville Review for its 2005 service as the official newspaper and the statutes governing such appointments.

During discussion of the motion, Alder Wyse expressed some concern about what he felt was a tendency of the Review to inject opinions into some news articles, and in particular mentioned an article in the April 12th Review reporting on his election as a write-in candidate. He stated that it's OK for the Review to print its opinions, but they belong in a editorial section specifically for opinions, not inserted into news stories. Both the main Editor/Publisher of the Evansville Review, Kelly Gildner, and the author of the article in question, Tammy Pomplun, were present. Although no public hearing had been announced, Gildner spoke up, demanding further examples. She also stated that she didn't write the article, implying that, even though she edits the paper, she wasn't responsible for the content of articles written by others. Pomplun said that what she reported was accurate. [I will leave it to my readers to determine for themselves whether Pomplun's article, in particular the first sentence of the second paragraph describing unattributed speculation and questions, embodies journalistic objectivity and fairness or verges on rumor-mongering. No similar speculation or questions were reported concerning the only other write-in candidate (Karen Aikman) who received a substantial number of write-in votes. Likewise, decide whether a paper's editor/publisher should be responsible for the content of articles appearing in the paper.]

Gildner then proceeded, still without being formally recognized by the Mayor, to discuss what she said was a large number of letters she had received about the Review's coverage of the recent election. She stood and insisted on reading one of those letters, which was highly critical, from start to finish, in spite of the Mayor's effort to cut her off. Gildner also described how she as editor had put extra pages into some recent issues of the paper in order to publish legally-required notices of some long ordinances, resulting in additional publishing costs. She requested that the 2005 monthly fee of $850 be increased to $900 for the coming year.

An amendment to the motion was proposed, to include a specification that the monthly fee be set at $900. It was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote. The amended motion to appoint the Evansville Review as the city's official newspaper passed on a voice vote.

My take on what I described above: As readers of this blog may know, I have criticized the Review in the past for what I considered to be inaccurate reporting. I share Alder Wyse's concerns, and from what I've heard ever since I moved here almost six years ago, these concerns are held by a significant number of Evansville's citizens. I think Gildner's actions during the Council meeting were inappropriate. Others may have different opinions.

However, those are separate issues from appointment as the city's official newspaper, and the law requires Evansville to appoint one. According to my reading of Wis Stats chapter 985, an "official newspaper" for a city of Evansville's size must have a paid circulation equal to 50% of its total circulation, shall contain "reports of happenings of a varied character, such as political, social, moral and religious subjects, designed to inform the general reader" (so I don't think that shopper newspapers would qualify), must be published in Rock County, and have at least 300 paid subscribers in the city of Evansville. It is possible that the Janesville Gazette would qualify under these conditions, but its local circulation is right on the edge of 300, I'm told. If more Evansville residents actually subscribed to the Gazette, this possibility could be strengthened.

As is almost always the case, there is another consideration to this issue, which could factor into any decision about appointing an official newspaper. That consideration is cost. The Janesville Gazette has indicated in the past, I've been told, that their charges would be higher than what the Review currently charges.

So, at this point, it's not clear that the city can legally choose another publication to be Evansville's official newspaper, and it's not clear what the possible consequences of such a choice might be in terms of cost. I've also been told by the City Administrator that there is no written contract between the Review and the city as to the obligations and rights of both parties concerning this appointment. Rather than raising the fee by Council motion in response to a request made at the meeting, it may be more appropriate in the future to negotiate an agreement between the City and its proposed official newspaper and then bring the agreement to the Council for a vote. I think that further investigation and a more deliberative approach is warranted before next appointment of an official city newspaper comes up in April 2007. Nonetheless, given all these factors, I stand by my vote to appoint the Review as the city's official newspaper for the ensuing year.

It's obvious that information about city happenings is becoming available to Evansville's citizens in other formats, such as this blog. As yet, not everyone in the city has easy access to computers, the internet, and blogs, though access will only increase in the future. Even so, for an increasing number of citizens, no longer is it necessary to rely on the Review as the only source of information about what's going on in City government. I'm personally flattered that at least one person gently chided me for not promptly blogging my take on what happened during the meeting in question. Accounts have more quickly appeared in other blogs. I'll try to do better in the future, if others in town are relying on such reporting.

I hope it's clear when I'm giving an opinion and when I'm reporting facts. If it's not, please let me know; I'm an amateur at this reporting business.

What happened at last night's City Council Meeting

2006-04-12T09:27:00.000-05:00

We heard of the many activities of the Evansville Community Partnership. I confess I haven't paid much attention to all that they do. I was impressed. Expect a 5-day extravaganza this July 4th holiday. If you want more details, contact ECP @ 882-0598. Likewise we heard of the many activities of the Senior Center, the nutritional center, transportation program and Primetimers. Call them at 882-0407. Likewise we heard of the Dean Community Center's activities for mostly middle-school youth, and their plans for their new facilities. Call them at 882-0372.

These three reports give lie to the apathy I've been talking about. Voter apathy there may be, but the people who are involved, are INVOLVED. We're so lucky to have them in our midst. Kudos to everyone who gives of themselves to make Evansville even better. If you have some time to assist any of these worthy programs, please let them know.

Council voted to annex the land southeast of the Hwy 14-County M intersection. No doubt re-zoning and a TIF district will be coming down the pike for approval soon. There was discussion of the proposed four-way intersection where J. Lindemann Drive now intersects Hway 14, across from this newly annexed property; final plans will depend on state Dept of Transportation input, because it's a state highway. Council approved developer plans to mitigate environmental concerns at the new Grand Orchards subdivision just north of current buildings on Brown School Road; this has been dicussed with and approved by the State Dept of Agriculture, since the land used to be an apple orchard. Council approved the latest land developer's agreement in Westfield Meadows, subject to DNR approval of the 100-year flood elevation. Council approved reallocation of funds within the existing Park & Recreation Budget to build a skatepark in Lake Leota park this year.

I'm learning that much of what we do here in Evansville depends on working closely with other government agencies, at both county and state level. Seldom is this simple, and it probably shouldn't be; to protect the public interest, expertise beyond what exists in Evansville proper is necessary. Cooperation with those who have the expertise is essential.

After some discussion, Council voted to keep its regular meeting time at 6:30 p.m. No alders reported a large public demand for later meeting times. The general feeling was that starting later, coupled with a long meeting (last night's was 3 hours) would make the ending time of the meeting too late for a majority of the council members. We'll do our best work if we're not too tired by the end of the evening.

Council passed resolutions commending Mayor Ringhand, Alders Anderson and Aikman for their service to the city.

The Mayor proclaimed April 28 as Arbor Day and the week of May 14-20 as Emergency Medical Services week. She showed awards given to the city for its Smart Growth Plan and for being a 5-year "Tree City". She made her final "State of the City" address to the Council.

Council voted in principle to exchange some of its property along Exchange St. (Public Works garage and land, the old Water & Light building and a vacant lot) for property at 535 South Main Street. The city will have to kick in some $$ to make the exchange fair; details are being worked out. When complete, the Public Works Department and EMS services will move to the building on S. Main.

Anyone who wants more information on what is reported here, please call me or your own alder. I'll tell you what I know, or if I don't know, I'll either tell you who to ask, or get answers to your questions for you.

NEXT TUESDAY, April 18th: Special Council meeting to re-organize with the new Mayor, two new Alders, and Committee Assignments. I've already expressed my interest to continue as chair of Park and Recreation Board and as member of Public Works Committee.

Whose input should count?

2006-04-11T13:12:00.000-05:00

The recent election in Italy, which appears to have been won by a challenger to current Prime Minister Berlusconi, was reported to have a turn-out of about 84% of the eligible voters. 84%!

In the USA's most recent presidential election, 55% of the voting-age population and 70% of those who actually registered cast ballots. In the 2002 USA elections, an off year, when there was no race for President, the figures were 37% of the voting-age population and 53% of registered voters.

In last week's election in Evansville, the percentage of registered voters who came out to actually vote was about 30.6%, reports the City Clerk's office. The percentage would be less if we included the entire voting-age population. Less than 1000 ballots were cast. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: citizen apathy is a big problem here in Evansville.

Those who actually voted know that their names got checked against the list of registered voters before they were given a ballot. I'm tempted to ask for that check-off list from the City Clerk's office. Maybe it's confidential; I don't know. The voter registration list itself isn't; I do know that.

Does it seem to you that city officials, elected and salaried, should pay more attention to opinions, requests, complaints, etc. from actual voters than from other citizens? Why or why not? This is like the Observer's watercooler questions: you make the call.....

Since I know some of you don't read the Evansville Review

2006-04-08T21:46:00.000-05:00

Below is Bill Connor's column:

City Administrator’s Column for Evansville Review
To be published April 12, 2006

Congratulations to Sandy Decker for winning the election for mayor, and to Mason Braunschweig, Fred Juergens, John Sornson, and Tony Wyse for being elected (or re-elected) alderperson. I look forward to working with Mayor-Elect Decker and the new Common Council.

I wish to extend my deep appreciation to Mayor Janis Ringhand, Alderperson Karen Aikman, and Alderperson Thayne Anderson for the direction and support they have given me during their terms in office.

Process for Creating New Residential Subdivisions

I recently received a series of questions from a resident about the process for approving new residential subdivisions and managing residential growth in Evansville. One of the questions she posed was whether the city requires a “cost-benefit” analysis when considering whether to approve a new residential subdivision. The answer is “no.” However, the city’s Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan contains the following objective: “Consider conducting a study that would determine the approximate value of a new dwelling that is sufficient to produce enough property tax revenue to pay for the costs of the incremental increase in public infrastructure and services that will be demanded by the additional family that will occupy the dwelling.” Furthermore, the Plan Commission has asked our city planner to look into whether it would be feasible for him to provide an analysis of the costs and benefits of additional houses (and the associated additional families) in Evansville.

Usually, the first step in creating a new residential subdivision is that the owner of land adjacent to the city petitions the city to annex the land from the Town of Union into the city. The city’s Plan Commission makes a recommendation to the Common Council about the annexation petition. The state Department of Administration also reviews the annexation petition to ensure that the petition complies with state law. Then the Council votes to grant or deny annexation.

Recently, the Common Council amended the Municipal Code to require the Plan Commission to hold a public hearing on any petition for annexation. The city publishes notice of public hearings in The Review, the city’s official newspaper for such publications. Information about upcoming public hearings also is available on the “City Calendar” page of the city’s web site at http://ci.evansville.wi.gov.

Granting annexation does not automatically mean that a neighborhood full of new houses soon will be constructed on the annexed land. The next steps in the process are applications for rezoning and approval of a subdivision plat. If the city does not approve rezoning or the subdivision plat, the property owner will be entitled to construct one house on the annexed land.

The Common Council amended the city’s zoning code to include new residential zoning districts that allow the city to mandate minimum house sizes through zoning. These new residential zoning districts allow builders who are interested in constructing larger and more expensive houses to purchase lots in parts of subdivisions zoned for such houses. The new residential zoning districts also allow the city to ensure that each new residential subdivision includes a variety of house sizes and prices. The mix of minimum houses sizes in a particular subdivision is negotiated between the city and the developer and depends on the location and terrain of the subdivision.

State law requires publication of notice and a public hearing regarding any application for rezoning. State law also requires that the city mail notices to adjacent property owners regarding any proposed rezoning. Recently, the Common Council amended the Municipal Code to require the Plan Commission to hold a public hearing regarding any application for preliminary approval of a subdivision plat. Often, the Common Council gives preliminary approval of a subdivision plat subject to conditions that the developer must satisfy before final approval of the plat.

One of the standard conditions on preliminary approval of a subdivision plat is that the developer must enter into a final land divider’s agreement that is acceptable to the city. The final land divider’s agreements for the three most recently approved subdivisions (Capstone Ridge and Grand Orchard Estates on the east side and Westfield Meadows on the west side) contain provisions that limit how quickly infrastructure for lots can be constructed. To summarize those provisions, they essentially allow the developers to construct infrastructure for an average of 70 new lots per year until Capstone Ridge Subdivision is completed, and the 35 lots per year from that point forward. These restrictions also apply to a potential fourth new residential subdivision on the west side, north of Porter Road, on land the city recently agreed to annex.

The resident asked to what extent decisions about approving new residential subdivisions are guided by the results of the community survey taken in 2004 during the Smart Growth planning process. The city’s population grew 27% from 1990 to 2000. When asked about the rate of growth population growth they would prefer in the future, 39% responded they would like to see a slower rate of growth and 32% responded they would like to see the same rate of growth. However, the comprehensive plan does not contain any specific limit on the number of additional residential lots to be developed. Instead, the comprehensive plan contains the following objective: “Investigate the potential for establishing a growth management ordinance to provide for subdivision phasing requirements, development permit limitations, or mapped annual growth boundaries.”

If the only residential subdivisions that the Common Council allows to develop from 2005 through 2015 are the four I mentioned above (three already approved and one potential), the development limits in place in the final land divider’s agreements should limit the population growth during 2005–2015 from new residential subdivisions to 27% or less. If the population grows 27% from the January 1, 2005, estimate of 4,660, the population on January 1, 2015, will be 5,918.

On April 11, 2006, the Common Council is scheduled to vote on a petition to annex approximately 97 acres of land at the southeast corner of USH 14 and CTM into the city. It is anticipated, however, that none of these 97 acres will be rezoned for residential development. Instead, it is anticipated that the land, if it is annexed, will be rezoned for commercial and industrial development.

Public Hearings

At 6:00 PM on Monday, April 17, 2006, the Parks and Recreation Board will hold a public hearing regarding when Lake Leota should be refilled. This hearing will focus on two topics: (1) the recreational value of Lake Leota in the recent past and (2) the impact on Leota Park and its users if the lake is left dry all summer. In addition to speaking at the hearing, you may submit comments in writing by sending an email message to Bill Connors, City Administrator, at bill.connors@ci.evansville.wi.gov by 1:00 PM on Monday, April 17, or by delivering or mailing your written comments to him by this deadline at City Hall, PO Box 76, 31 S. Madison St., Evansville, WI 53536.

At 6:00 PM on Monday, April 24, 2006, the Public Works Committee will hold a public hearing regarding when Lake Leota should be refilled. In addition to speaking at the hearing, you may submit comments in writing by sending an email message to Bill Connors, City Administrator, at bill.connors@ci.evansville.wi.gov by 1:00 PM on Monday, April 24, or by delivering or mailing your written comments to him by this deadline at City Hall, PO Box 76, 31 S. Madison St., Evansville, WI 53536.

At 7:00 PM on Tuesday, April 25, 2006, the Redevelopment Authority will hold a public hearing regarding the boundaries of Tax Incremental District (TID) No. 5. If you own property near the boundaries of TID No. 5, you may request that the Redevelopment Authority consider asking the Common Council to add your property to the TID. If you own property within TID No. 5, you may request that the Redevelopment Authority consider asking the Common Council to remove your property from the TID. In addition to speaking at the hearing, you may submit comments in writing by sending an email message to Bill Connors, Executive Director, at bill.connors@ci.evansville.wi.gov by 1:00 PM on Tuesday, April 25, or by delivering or mailing your written comments to him by this deadline at City Hall, PO Box 76, 31 S. Madison St., Evansville, WI 53536.

At 6:00 PM on Monday, May 1, 2006, the Plan Commission will hold a public hearing regarding creation of Tax Incremental District (TID) No. 6, which would consist of land north and south of USH 14 east of the intersection with CTH M. When a TID is created, any property tax revenue from the growth in property tax base value within the TID becomes tax increment revenue and is collected by the city to pay for investments in the TID, rather than being collected by the city, school district, county, and technical college district for their regular budgets. However, during the life of the TID, the property tax revenue from the property tax base value that existed at the time the district was created would continue to be collected by the city, school district, county, and technical college district for their regular budgets. Tax increment generated by TID No. 6 would be used to finance construction of streets, sewers, water mains, and electrical service for parcels zoned for industrial development. TID No. 6 also would include parcels zoned for commercial development, but the city anticipates that the tax increment revenue generated by any commercial development within TID No. 6 would be used to pay for debt service on the costs of constructing infrastructure for industrial development.

Announcements and Reminders

The city’s brush and yard waste site on Water Street will reopen on Saturday, April 15, 2006. The site is open on Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM. The site also will be open on Wednesday evenings, starting April 19, from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

In addition, personnel of the city’s Public Works Department pick up brush and yard waste placed on the terrace by the curb during the first full week of each month. Place your brush or yard waste on the terrace by Sunday evening of the week of pickup. Bundle brush in 4-foot maximum lengths. Grass and leaves need to be in open or clear bags. Do not rake leaves, grass, or other yard waste into the street at this time, because it clogs the storm sewers. Raking leaves into the street for pickup is permitted only in the fall.

Make Up Your Mind

2006-04-08T15:31:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm embarking on a full term as an elected alder, I have been reflecting on my responsibilities to Evansville. Difficult issues are facing our city, and I've put myself in the position of having to make decisions on them -- decisions that affect not just me, but you blog-readers, all the non-blog-readers in Evansville, and the 70% of Evansville's registered voters that didn't come to the polls last week.

Here's a question for you, Dear Reader. It's a question that could be usefully contemplated by everyone, I think:
How do you construct opinions about issues affecting our city and what factors, if any, could cause your opinions to change?

Here are a few issues to play with in the light of that question:

* Should Lake Leota be refilled this summer or let it stay dry for another year?
* Should a skateboard park finally be built after almost 4 years of discussion, or should we just kill the idea once and for all?
* Should the rebuilding of Main Street be done so as to maximize parking with narrow sidewalks or to make more pedestrian-friendly, wider, sidewalks?

Think about the larger question every time you read a newspaper or a blog, or have a discussion with a neighbor or over a beer at the tavern. I don't believe it's inaccurate to say that, these days, polemics, bluster, and emotion are crowding out persuasion based on facts. From my own observations it seems that most changes of opinion occur slowly and often reluctantly. And for some people, the idea of changing opinions can spark considerable controversy.

I'm a fan of compromise, even though it's been getting a bad name lately. Some folks want you to believe that "compromise" is a euphemism for "spineless." And some folks want everybody else to compromise except themselves. Or they want instant decisions on their own particular topic-of-interest. I tend to think that making good public policy takes time, reflection, and give&take on everyone's part.

I'm also a believer in constantly reassessing my own attitudes. If someone can show me a better way of thinking about a particular issue, bring it on. Sometimes I even change my mind, which is also risky these days because it could get me labeled as "inconsistent" or, worst of all, a "flip-flopper."

Do you disagree with everything I've said? If so, I hope you have a persuasive set of counter-ideas and not just a list of criticisms and insults. In America, anyone who can start an intelligent, well-reasoned debate should always feel free to speak up. And that is something that must absolutely, positively never change.

Ideas in this post freely borrowed from a column in the Christian Science Monitor.

TIF #6 proposed, seems feasible, what now? ...

2006-04-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

Last Monday night the consulting firm Ehlers & Associates, out of Brookfield, presented the results of their feasibility study on creating a new TIF district (#6) in Evansville at the April meeting of the Plan Commission. It's dependent on first annexing and then rezoning about 80 - 90 acres on the SE corner of M and 14, across from Stoughton Trailers on M and the McDonalds complex on 14.

The study concluded it was feasible, and I got a copy of their report. I know little about TIF districts and their financing, but as I studied the report I learned some things. There's still more for me to learn, because after studying it for about 3 hours, I still have about 1/3 of the 9-page report to go, full of figures to be understood and evaluated.

TIF #6 is only a proposal at this time, so now is the time to learn, and not just for me, -- for everyone who may have thoughts about whether or not this is a good idea for Evansville. Not a lot of time, though, 'cuz Ehlers projects a time-line to finish the creation process sometime in July, as I read the report.

Here's the schedule:
April 3rd: Plan Commission approved calling for Public Hearing at next PC mtg.
May 1st: Public Hearing at Regular Plan Commission Mtg.
During May: Assuming PC approves District Project Plan, Ehlers provides revised draft District Project Plan & resolution for city council meeting.
June 13th: City Council reviews plan and adopts resolution approving plan and boundaries.
July sometime: Joint Review Board finally approves creation of TIF district #6.
August - December: Ehlers does the "mop-up" work for State_required documents, etc.

From what I understand, the point of this TIF District will be to promote economic development, both commercial and industrial, so that Evansville's tax base will grow. This should, I think, reduce the tax burden on residential property in the city, should all the estimates, assumptions and projections in the report be met.

Ehlers' report has raised many questions in my mind. I expect that, as I dig around, I will get satisfactory answers. Mostly, the questions center around the idea of reward vs. risk. As I read it, the city will borrow about $3 million to put in the infrastructure (roads, water, sewer, etc.) in the district, so that commercial and industrial concerns will want to locate there. We'll pay interest on that $3M, and the principal is expected to be recovered from the extra taxes generated by those businesses, with an assumed payout time of about 12 years, if I understand the report correctly.

After that, the rewards to the city (as well as other taxing districts like the School District, Blackhawk Tech, the County, etc.) are increased tax revenue and more local commercial and industrial enterprises. But what are the risks? The Ehlers report does not explicitly discuss these. Nonetheless, I think those risks need to be understood and quantified as well as possible, so that we know whether the city's rewards outweigh the risks. And it's also appropriate to ask what are the rewards and risks to the owners of the property which they seek to have the city annex, rezone, and create the TIF district in.

Absolutely none of the above should be mistakenly construed to mean that I have made up my mind which way to vote in June about this TIF #6. I have nowhere enough information to make a decision -- and I've got the Ehlers report to begin with. You should be able to get one from City Hall, if you want to learn more. Time's a factor here.

By all means, let me know what you think about this proposal. And let the other alders and the new mayor know as well. This will be voted on by the new council members and possibly the mayor, should a tie-vote occur in council.

Disclaimer: If I've mis-represented any aspect of this study report, due to my lack of diligence in understanding it, I hope that others with more knowledge will correct me.

If you see me on the street....

2006-04-04T21:13:00.000-05:00

This big smile is intended to congratulate Mayor Sandy Decker and wish her the best of fortune as she takes on a big new challenge. Also to welcome Mason Braunschweig to City Council, and congratulate John Sornson on winning re-election. And in District 3, which had no candidate on the ballot, Tony Wyse wins with 35 write-in votes. Welcome to City Council, Mr. Wyse.

Finally, let's all wish outgoing Mayor Janis Ringhand a fond farewell as she moves on to a new adventure, and thank her for four years of selfless service to Evansville. And thanks are due to Karen Aikman and Andy Anderson, as well, as they leave City Council.

Election and Referendum Results in City of Evansville

2006-04-04T20:48:00.000-05:00

Polls closed at 8 PM; these results at 8:15 PM

Mayor: Decker 625, Aikman 325
Alderman District 1: Braunschweig 127, Senn 109
Alderman District 2: Juergens 183, unopposed
Alderman District 3: 58 write-in votes, hand count not complete at this writing
Alderman District 4: Sornson 125, Steinlein 48

Resolution #1, favoring troop withdrawal; Yes 444, No 425
Resolution #2, favoring convincing victory; Yes 386, No 397

School Board Races, undecided until count from neighboring jurisdictions come in.

I want to thank all those who voted in District 2. I will do my best to deserve your support.

VOTE!

2006-04-01T11:16:00.000-06:00

The election is only 3 days away. Even though I'm unopposed, I urge a large turnout from District #2 to vote in all the races that are contested.

And as long as you're voting for one of those candidates in the other races, why not mark the ballot for me, Fred Juergens, as a vote of confidence.

Thanks in advance.

Candidate Forum last week

2006-04-01T11:06:00.000-06:00

I finally took some time to post answers to the real/virtual forum sponsored by www.evansvilleobserver.blogspot.com. I invite you to take a look at them and compare my answers to ones written by Mayoral Candidate Aikman and Alder Candidate Braunschweig.

I have not yet answered the last question of the five. Mostly because I realize that I don't have an easy answer to the question. My approach to convincing people usually involves facts and reason. As I'm becoming a more public person, I'm coming to realize that such an approach may not always work as well in this new (to me) area of city government as it did in the work-world I formerly inhabited at UW-Madison.

Commentators (to my posts on this blog and others) and I often seem to be talking past one another rather than to one another. Frequently it appears to me that we don't know how to listen to each other. I'm going to try to be better at that, and I hope those who read these words will make a similar effort.

A Blog for CUUE

2006-04-01T11:01:00.000-06:00

I intend this blog, EvilleAlderFred, to pertain almost solely to my activities as an alderman for the city of Evansville. Some people in town know that I am involved with an organization called Citizens United of Union/Evansville (CUUE). Items pertaining to CUUE are now posted at:

www.wisconsinpolitics.org/cuue.html

Please feel free to check it out.

Park Board Minutes Mar 2006.

2006-04-01T11:00:00.000-06:00

DRAFT Park & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes
Monday March 20th, 200 6at 6:00 p.m.
Council Chambers, City Hall

1 The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:01 pm. Present: Chair & Alderperson Fred Juergens, Members: Ron Carlsen, Barbara Jacobson, Jerry Krueger, Sue Merritt, Lauren Scott, Karla Sendelbach. Staff: Rick Hamacher, Ray Anderson. Absent: none. Quorum present.

2. Minutes of the February 28, 2006 meeting were not approved, as some members hadn�t received them. Approval will be postponed until the April meeting

3. Citizen appearances (other than agenda items)

a. None

4. Lake Leota Draw-down update. Mr. Gib Wiedenhoeft from SOLE reported the following:
a. no knowledgeable contractor has yet been located to consult about possible dredging operations.
b. SOLE personnel have met with representatives of Rock County, DNR, and are attempting to meet with representatives of Dane County to try to form �watershed committee� to identify landowners along Allen Creek and begin to work with them on reducing sediment inflow into Lake Leota.
c. SOLE estimates that the lake bottom has compacted by about four inches.
d. DNR thinks that, for maximum �dry and compact� impact, the lake should stay dry through another winter.

The Chair reported that a public hearing will be scheduled for the PRB April meeting to get citizen input concerning filling the lake this coming Spring 2006.

5. Franklin Park Update

a. PRB member Krueger, Parks Maintenance Supverisor Anderson, and citizen Ayn Steinlein agreed on a recommendation for playground equipment to be purchased. They have also worked out the best place to locate the new swing set and slide they recommend. The delivered cost for this equipment is $7645 from the Burke company.

b. Motion by Member Krueger, second by Member Carlsen to purchase the above mentioned equipment. Discussion followed. One suggestion was to add a �handicapped� swing to the package. Motion passed 7-0. Mr Anderson will order the equipment immediately.

c. It was reported that approximately 26 children of playground age live in the vicinity of Franklin Park.

d. There was a brief discussion of getting some other funds from grants or gifts to add further facilities to Franklin Park.

6. Skate Park Update.

a. Chair Juergens reported that Council�s Finance and Labor Relations committee had tabled the resolution requesting that $10K be transferred from the PRB�s unallocated portion of its budget to the allocation for the Skate Park. They wanted more information to support the request. Juergens requested that FLR�s chair give the PRB specific questions to be answered, and these questions have been received.

b. Discussion ensued. Member Jacobson had been at the FLR meeting and reported that there is significant concern about saving money among FLR members.

c. Chair Juergens will summarize the discussion, attend the next FLR meeting on April 10th and answer the questions posed, as well as others FLR may bring up. He will also contact members of the Skate club for further input as to other possible equipment suppliers, etc.

7. West-side Park Update.

a. Chair Juergens reported that no engineering work has begun due to weather conditions.

8. Countryside Park Improvements for 2006.

a. Chair Juergens reported that Public Works Director Wartenweiler has located the nearest location for utilities to bring into the park. A street will have to be dug up to accomplish this. He roughly estimates that this will cost about $10,000. Member Jacobson moved, Member Merritt seconded, that this work be done this year, with funds to come from the fees given to the city in lieu of Parkland dedication, particularly those from Capstone Ridge, which are earmarked for Countryside Park. Motion passed 7-0.

b. Mr. Anderson reported that he had chosen additional playground equipment from the Burke company to install in Countryside Park. The delivered cost of this equipment will be $4323, if the shipment is combined with the equipment for Franklin Park. Because of previous discussions of getting bids from more than one supplier relative to the skate park, getting a second bid for this equipment was mentioned. Mr. Anderson said he could do so, but he was very satisfied with the service the Burke company had given to the city over the years; he�s always dealt with Burke. They have an excellent warranty for their equipment. Based on this information, Member Krueger moved, Member Carlsen seconded, that PRB accept the bid from Burke and order the equipment recommended by Mr. Anderson, funds also to come from Parkland fees. Motion passed 7-0

c. Mr. Anderson reported that the Evansville high school teacher who has been supervising the high school students building the new bathrooms at Lake Leota Park may interested in possibly constructing a shelter at Countryside Park beginning this fall. PRB directed Mr. Anderson to continue exploring this possibility and bring a possible design and estimated cost to a future PRB meeting for discussion.

9. Aquatic Report:

a. Aquatic Director Hamacher reported that maintenance plans for the pool have been changed. Caulking and touch-up painting will be done this spring. Racing lines will be done this fall.

b. The solar panel project is going forward, with an initial installation to be done this year. This is primarily a demonstration project, given the available funds. The project should be done in phases costing about $5-10K each year, with a total cost in the range of $35-40K.

c. No one has applied to be the Park Store Manager. Last year the Park Store lost about $2500; expenses were more than income. If no one is hired, other pool staff will sell packaged snacks, etc. from the pool itself in 2006, to gauge public response to the change in service. Hamacher says that if this course is followed, the concessions will make money rather than losing money. He anticipates no problem hiring life guards for 2006.

d. A brochure containing information about the pool has been printed. It will be available at city hall, the library and at the pool. It will also be included with the Water & Light bills in May.

10. Improvements and Maintenance Report: Mr. Ray Anderson

a. Bathroom construction in the upper park is coming along with the cooperation of the high-school students. Weather has delayed completion of putting the cultured-stone veneer on the outside of the structure.

b. The new roof on the bathroom in the lower park is complete and looks good.

c. The new bleachers are complete.

d. Mr Anderson wants to order several new units to supply bags for picking up pet waste in the parks. PRB authorized him to do so, at a cost of about $250. Mr. Anderson would like PRB to come up with a maximum dollar amount that he can spend on park maintenance items without making a request of the board. This will be discussed at a future meeting.

12. Old Business: Member Sendelbach reported on volunteers to plant and maintain public garden spaces. She contacted the Evansville Garden Club to discuss how this had been handled in the past. Most members of the Garden Club are getting up in years and cannot do so much work now. Sendelbach will contact ECP, possibly the Girl Scouts, and Landscape classes at Blackhawk Tech to see if there is interest there in volunteering. She would like more direction from PRB on how to proceed; she does not want to be a project coordinator. The bed at the corner of Madison and Union St and the bed at the top of North 2nd Street are areas that will need work this year. It was suggested that perhaps PRB members could take on some of this responsibility, but no decision was reached.

13. New business: Member Krueger requested that the Chair approach the Finance and Labor Relations committee to request guidance from them on two items;

a. how much the PRB can spend on capital items without requesting bids from multiple suppliers;
b. how much discretion PRB has to determine an equipment supplier, while considering price, quality, warranty, likely future maintenance costs advice from Mr. Anderson, etc. PRB does not want to be restricted to the low bid nor does it necessarily have the skills to write up detailed specifications.

14. Adjourn: Motion made at 8:02 pm. seconded and approved without dissent.

Minutes Drafted by Chair Juergens 3/22/06. These are not official until approved at a subsequent meeting.

Who wants to help me make up my mind?

2006-03-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

This post may best be understood after reading comments written on my earlier post about Lake Leota's Future. I hope you can go back and read those before trying to figure this out. If you don't, though, back then I described two different approaches to communicating with local officials: The one I called "S" is generally more criticisms, complaints, admonitions and expressions of annoyance than a useful (to me at least) attempt to address any issue in question.

So...if I can't get information from S, what am I to do? If I can't get questions beyond the "have you stopped beating your wife yet?" variety, how am I to get information out to S? I started this blog to attempt to communicate with people in town. What other alder does that? What else do you want, S? Am I to use a crystal ball to attempt to divine the thoughts, intentions, wishes, etc., of those "silent constituents" fugo says I must "specially represent"? What, specifically, would you like me to do in your behalf, S?

Consider polls like the one I discussed in my post called " Whose Pocket are Politicians In? Why not Yours? ". It seems that people don't think elected officials represent the interests of the people. Well, what ARE the interests of the people, with respect to Evansville's city government? I really would like to know. I'll be happy to listen to you, but you gotta have something to say. So tell me, people. If you can't or won't tell me, how am I to know?

It may come as a surprise to some people to learn that I have expectations of my constituents -- actually, of all Evansville's residents. I think democracy is a challenging form of government -- freedom isn't free; citizens have responsibilities. Thomas Jefferson famously said, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." The expectation of democracy is that citizens will engage themselves in the affairs of their government, that they will pay attention to and inform themselves of the issues that matter to them, they will ask questions, that they will express themselves to their elected representatives, and that they will, most of all, vote.

If enough citizens ignore their responsibilities, remaining ignorant of what's going on, then the government may become the province of those few who do engage themselves. Despite the best efforts of honest, dedicated-to-the-public-good, elected representatives to figure out how to represent the apathetic & the no-nothings & the disengaged & the too-busy's & the frustrated, eventually the control of the political process will come into the hands of small band of special interests.

So the challenge, fugo, is three-fold, as I see it.

1. For me, as an elected official, to do my very best to discern what I perceive to be the best interests of the entire community.

2. For the citizens to tell me what their best interests are. However, for example, if it's in their best interest to have the city cut taxes, I request that they tell me what city functions they want cut and why. Don't just tell me, e.g., "reduce waste".

3. For me, to attempt to synthesize citizen interests, which I can just about guarantee will not be homogenous, with my own perceptions and beliefs, before I vote on issues like TIF districts, downtown reconstruction, park development, lake restoration, etc., etc., etc.

Any takers for #2?

On National TV -- just barely.

2006-03-20T11:32:00.000-06:00

I hope none of my readers made much of an effort to watch the CBS Early Show to see All That Jazz, the band I play in, perform. As the surprise birthday party segment unfolded, ATJ was obscurely in the background for about 10 seconds, and due to time constraints in New York, the producers never cut back to Madison and Monona Terrace after the initial segment. Ah well, it was a good story, and we were happy to be a part of it. ATJ played for the party til about 8am.

It was really a "do", with wonderful food and a great setting at Monona Terrace, and the birthday girl was really surprised. A good time was had by all.

This blog will not report on any other ATJ activities.

Whose Pocket are Politicians In? Why not Yours?

2006-03-19T17:24:00.000-06:00

An interesting poll came out last October. From the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, and asking 600 people state-wide, it inquires about the opinions of Wisconsinites of their state and local government. The margin of error is +/-4%.

(Author's Note: I can't figure out how to get the items in the table to line up. They line up fine when I type them in, but the final result is not pretty. Hope you can figure this out.)

Here are the results when asked "Overall, whose interests do you think elected officials represent the most?"

.....................State-wide;.....More rural parts of state
Your interests = .........6%;..... 6%
Special interests = .....41%;..... 39%
Their own interests =....47%;..... 43%
No answer = ..............6%;.....12%

"In the last ten years, do you think the standard of ethics of local government officials has gotten better, worse, or stayed about the same?"

Better = .................6%;.......8%
Worse = .................35%;......34%
Stayed Same =............56%;......55%
No Answer = ...............4%;......4%

Of course, it's only a poll, but the numbers raise several kinds of questions in my mind, as I seek election.

If only a small fraction of citizens of Wisconsin think that elected officials represent citizens' interests, why don't the citizens vote them out and elect officials who DO represent their interests? Have most people just given up on democracy? Have they stopped really thinking and caring about the results of what elected officials actually do in their name? What is the root of the distrust, or are there many? Are the numbers representative of Evansville?

Voter turn-out is pitifully low in the US as a whole, and though Wisconsin's higher than the national average, it's still nothing to brag about. Only about 15% of voters turned out for the recent mayoral primary in Evansville, and even that paltry figure surprised the City Clerk, who had to print extra ballots at the last minute; he'd expected a turnout of less than half that. What did our forefathers fight a revolution for?

So, readers of this blog, what do you think? Got any answers to those questions? Probably if you're reading this, you're more engaged than most. Why don't you try showing this post to your neighbors and friends and getting their opinions?

I'd really like to get a dialog going on this, cuz if those numbers don't turn around, I gotta wonder if our own American experiment in democracy is failing even as this administration claims that "freedom is on the march.", and its foreign policy is "spreading democracy throughout the world". Who are they kidding? You?

"Ask the Candidate" Forum--March 25th--9:30AM Eager Library

2006-03-18T08:49:00.000-06:00

Beneath the dotted line is an exerpt from a post from the Evansville Observer. As a candidate from the 2nd District, I intend to be there. I urge every voter in Evansville to show up and speak and listen and hopefully learn. ...Fred

......................
Saturday morning, March 25th will be possibly the last time you will have a chance to meet that candidate, hear what positions on the issues are, and yes even share with the candidate what your priorities are for the future.

Some of the alderman candidates will be at the forum. This is the only forum I am aware of that has even asked them anything. They are the ones that vote on the important issues of the City council.

Both mayoral candidates have been invited. And yes, the Janesville Gazette and Evansville Review have been invited.

The "Ask the candidate" forum is important because although these .... candidates may not matter in the current votes, they will matter in the future votes which may very well be even more difficult than the current ones. It is time to ask the questions.

The questions will be written and signed. The live session will be moderated by the famous "Grumps, " the local politico. Yes there will be coffee at the event.
.....................................................

You can read the entire posting at: www.evansvilleobserver.blogspot.com

Lake Leota's Future

2006-03-17T14:43:00.000-06:00

As I'm sure you know, last October Lake Leota was drained by opening the dam-gate. It was hoped that the muck on its bottom would dry out, settle and compact, and thus increase the actual water depth when the dam was closed sometime in the future. Some settling has indeed taken place over the last six months or so, though I believe that six inches would probably be a generous estimate of how much depth has been gained. Its average depth was about 18 inches before draining. This is just my personal guesstimate; the SOLE (Save Our Lake Environment) committee has better information.

Well, the future is coming, and decisions need to be made: What do we do next?

I'm giving a very long notice time to Evansville citizens that the Park and Recreation Board will hold a public hearing at its APRIL meeting, scheduled for April 17th, to get input on at least two lake-related topics:

1. The recreational value of the lake itself (when it was full, of course) as you have used it over the past few years.

2. The impact on Lake Leota Park as a whole, from a recreational standpoint, if the lake is allowed to remain dry all of the coming summer and perhaps through the 2006-7 winter as well.

Further notice of this public hearing will, of course, be published appropriately and legally closer to the appointed date, but I wanted to give blog readers and others time to really think about this.

Before the public hearing, representatives from SOLE will present the facts of the matter as best they know them, and perhaps outline some options for future action. Then it will be your turn. Come and contribute before final decisions get made by your elected officials.

I should point out that another public hearing will be held too: The Public Works Committee is scheduling one on April 24, I believe. Maybe others: stay tuned.

You don't have to wait to the public hearing to communicate with me as PRB chair. Feel free to get in touch with me at any time to discuss Lake Leota or any other topic of interest to Evansville.

Honey or Vinegar

2006-03-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking about the ways people have interacted with me since I became an alder almost 4 months go. Some have spoken to me in person, some have responded to comments I made as "Cueball" and under my own name on EvansvilleObserver, and some have made comments in response to my own writings on this blog. Of course, I've attended Council and committee meetings where citizens came to speak.

I think all these interactions are great. The more we all talk to each other in Evansville, whether it's face-to-face or in this new (and to me very exciting) blogosphere arising here, the stronger our sense of belonging to a community.

I know that not everyone thinks the same; that's true no matter where you are, of course. People do have different points of view, want to advance their own agendas, and in talking with each other, go about it in different ways. As an alder, I want to hear what they've got to say.

There are effective ways, and ineffective ways, of getting me to pay attention. I've experienced both, and to be honest, the latter bugs me.

I'd rather listen to people who give me information and who ask to spend some time with me talking through whatever they're concerned about. I'd rather listen to people who, in turn, listen to me. I'd rather listen to people who answer the questions I pose to them.

I'd rather NOT continue to listen to people who start off by implying I'm a fool, who seem merely to have a complaint, who don't answer my questions, who want an instant answer, and who want to remain anonymous. To these people, I try (and intend) to be civil, to explain the situation being discussed from my perspective. If such explanations elicit only more of the same, I tend to tune out. I would like citizens to display some thoughtfulness and knowledge if they want me to listen. I wouldn't be surprised if all the other city officials feel the same.

Some residents complain that city officials don't listen to them -- we just do whatever we want. Well, yes and no, to the latter. I think that we all try to do what we think is best for Evansville as a whole. Here's an example:

At the February Public Works Committee meeting, we had a big public turnout for a discussion of the redesign of Main Street between Allen Creek and 2nd St. The same topic had also been discussed the previous month. Many of the citizens in attendance have business interests on Main St. There were two architect designs on display, both of which provide more on-street parking than we currently have. Design #1 has the most parking; Design #2 still increases parking, but is more pedestrian-friendly. A large majority of the people attending the meeting favored #1, and seemed to want the Committee to make up its mind right then: choose #1, quit dithering around.

No doubt to the dismay of those people, I suggested that perhaps it might be appropriate to consider combining the best aspects of both designs and have the architect come back with a third rendition. Why? Because I feel I've got to represent ALL of Evansville's residents as a member of this committee, not just the ones who have business interests on Main St. Can't we find a better design than the two we've been given?

Will it take more time to do this? Sure. Did we need a decision on Main St. design in February? I don't believe so. Neither did the other committee members, so we asked the architect to come back in March with at least one alternative to the two designs he'd already proposed. Some of the citizens in attendance seemed to think they were just wasting their time coming to meetings like this, if the committee didn't immediately do what they wanted. But I don't think that the squeaky wheel should always get all the grease.

Good public policy takes time and thought. Redesigning Main St. is a big project that will be with us for generations. We'd better take the time to do it right. We want public input, and at the same time, we alders should (I think) consider the interests of those who aren't quite as vocal or active in trying to influence the final design and decisions leading up to it.

One of my goals as an Alder is to make our government as open to citizens as possible and to encourage ever more citizen input into the decisions I and the other Alders, as your representatives, make. Above, I've suggested some ways that citizens can be effective in making their viewpoints known. Those who understand how to be effective have a better chance of influencing how I might decide to vote on any future topics that interest them. I'll always listen to you, at least until you start insulting me. I've got a thick skin, but you'll get more flies with honey.

On National TV!

2006-03-11T15:25:00.000-06:00

No, not as an alderman, or to talk on the Troop Withdrawal referendum.

But I'll be on the CBS Morning Show (Channel 9 or 10, if you've got cable -- I don't know the numbers for DirecTV) from about 7:15 - 8:00 am on Monday March 20th.

The CBS Morning Show grants a wish to a deserving person periodically. A woman in Madison wished for a big 65th birthday party for her mother. So the Morning Show is throwing her a surprise party at Monona Terrace in Madison on live TV that day. The band I've played for with a dozen years, ALL THAT JAZZ, has been invited to provide the music.

ALL THAT JAZZ will no doubt be just a small part of the festivities, but all of us musicians are thrilled to have this opportunity to play the music we love on live national TV. If you want to look for me, I'll be at the right end of the sax section, playing baritone sax, the bald guy with short white hair and beard.

...just bragging a bit...fan mail gratefully accepted...CD's for sale...hire us...

Out and About

2006-03-11T15:03:00.000-06:00

Today I did my first door-to-door campaigning in my bid to be elected to the Aldermanic seat I was appointed to last November. Not too many people home, and I left a flyer at those doors. Most of the people I talked to seemed to be satisfied with how Evansville's city government is operating. A few mildly critical comments about some issues, but no one seemed seriously unhappy. The flyer gives four different ways to get in touch with me, and I hope that people will use at least one them when they have a concern.

I probably won't get to every door in the district, so here is what I consider to be the real message I'm trying to get out:

I am accessible. I will listen to my constituents and to all Evansville's people. I'll do my best to be a responsive, energetic, thoughtful representative as I answer questions, participate in meetings, make decisions and vote.

Even though I'm unopposed in the coming election on April 4th, I hope for a large turnout in Evansville as a whole and in the 2nd District, which I represent. I'd appreciate a vote of confidence from my constituents.

I'll try to get out on each of the seven weekend days remaining until the election. If you live in the 2nd district, I hope I'll get to your door. If I do, please bend my ear!

Seeing Things I Didn't Know Much About

2006-03-08T09:49:00.000-06:00

Last January, Roger Berg, a private citizen and developer, asked me if he and I could meet upon my return from vacation so that he could give me his perspective on issues facing the city. We did so on Monday Feb 27th. I've held off on writing this post to give me some time to think about some of what I learned from this meeting.

Roger wanted me to see projects being considered for the future, some that are currently underway, some recently completed, etc., and to sit in on a meeting with Tim Schwecke, the City Planner. He took me around to several businesses in town and introduced me to their owners or managers. I was pleased to become acquainted with people I'd never met before. Of course, I'd like to be accessible to all of Evansville's residents and business people, and I hope that these meetings will reinforce the notion that I am accessible as an alderperson and that I will listen to their concerns. It was a good experience.

I got a preview of the new Ace Hardware Store as part of this tour. Though I had serious regrets about its leaving downtown when I first heard the news, I also understood the necessity of the store having more space to serve Evansville better. I've been into the old store asking for items that I was told they just didn't have room to stock. So I had to go out of town to get what I needed, and that's not good for local business. The new store has lots more room, both for display of stock and for storage. I'm impressed, and I think everyone else will be too, when it opens in a month or less.

Tim Schwecke and Tom Ness (who works with Roger Berg), were going over a site plan for a multiple-tenant building on Water St. just west of the railroad tracks. I listened and, hopefully, learned. This site plan had been approved by Plan Commission last December, with some conditions imposed by the city's Zoning Code. Nearly three months later, one of those conditions was not yet resolved; hence the meeting.

After listening, and some study, here's my uneducated take on the matter. The condition not yet resolved requires a "bufferyard with opacity of 0.3 along the eastern boundary." "A bufferyard is a combination of distance and a visual buffer or barrier", says the zoning code. It is intended to separate two different zoning districts and reduce or eliminate existing or potential nuisances such as dirt, litter, noise, glare of lights, etc. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? Berg's building, for which the foundation is already installed, leaves minimal room for such a bufferyard, so, if I read the Code correctly (section 130-270), the only option is a 6-foot high opaque fence on the lot line, together with a 10' width of grassy area (which could also be landscaped) inside the fence.

What's on the other side of the lot line and the view from Berg's building? A dirt road, a vacant narrow strip of unimproved land, and then the rail-road right of way. Beyond that, more dirt, Exchange Street, and the big electrical installation and well area for Evansville Water and Light. Beyond those are the backs of some of the houses on the south side of Franklin Street. Both Tim and Tom were trying out how to meet the zoning code requiring the bufferyard and still maintain access to necessary parking (also required by zoning, I believe) to the rear of the building.

What about the view the other way, from those backyards on the south side of Franklin St? People there are several hundred yards from Berg's building. Closer to them and within their line of sight are the Public Works Shop and parking lot, the Water and Light facility with its well-house and electrical substation. Then comes Exchange St, then several other buildings and the railroad tracks, and finally Berg's building. Just looking at the situation, I doubt that putting a bufferyard (which will cost him money, of course) on Berg's property is going to significantly improve the general view for Franklin St. residents.

It's not my job or intent to second-guess the Zoning code - yet. I've got enough to learn just with my responsibilities on the Park Board and Public Works Committee. However, and again I emphasize that I'm no expert on this, the zoning restrictions for this particular site seem a bit extreme. Looking at the site plan, it seems probable that Berg's building couldn't be much smaller and still be economically feasible; it's on an odd triangle-shaped lot. Given this building's location and what's near it, this bufferyard may be unnecessary, in my humble opinion. Zoning is a complicated topic, but if it ties the city's and developers' hands to no good end, perhaps a way to get some flexibility is worth considering. I'm not advocating getting rid of zoning or deciding all zoning questions on an ad hoc basis, which would defeat the purpose of the code. The code was adopted to do its best to cover all situations, but here's one where, again in my opinion, its best may not be good enough.

...Guess I'd better get elected first.... then maybe I'll think about issues like this some more.

More on West Side Park, and Baseball in Evansville

2006-03-08T08:01:00.000-06:00

Below is an email exchange between a constituent and me, relative to West Side Park. I hope this may give readers more insight into my own thinking as chair of the Park and Recreation Board. These are my own personal thoughts, and may not reflect any future decisions that the seven-member PRB may make relative to this topic. (The constituent wrote a second email to me before I sent this reply to his first, chiding me for a less-than-immediate response.)

Mr Juergens,
I am a resident in your district. I have some questions regarding the new west side park. I have seen the plan recently (I have a bit of catching up to do with what's going on around town) What is the plan for the baseball field? Is it going to be used for baseball or is the plan that the Friday night softball league move to this field? It seems like if it is used for baseball the fences are a bit short for any league other than the little leagues in town to use. If this is going to be used as a full size baseball field, the Home Talent team in Evansville has an interest in playing there. However, to suit the needs of the team the fences would have to be moved further out to say 320 feet in left and right fields and 390 feet in center field. Would there be lights at this field so games could be played at night?

I am also curious as to why the park is including 2 soccer fields. Seems like there is an awful lot of space that is given to the soccer fields and the baseball field is kind of stuffed in.

I'm sure you are aware of the Home Talent team playing some Thursday night games at the upper diamond. Currently the team cannot host home games later at night because they have no place to play other than the highschool field. I was wondering if the park board would ever consider making that field into a baseball only field? Perhaps putting a fence in the outfield? Maybe making the infield grass instead of sand?

These are just some thoughts that I have had in looking at the plan. I look forward to your comments and chatting with you about this.

Thanks for your time, (constituent's name withheld).

Hello, (says Fred)

Thanks for your email. I regret that I did not respond in as timely a manner as you may have wished; it's been a very busy six days for me since you first wrote. Nonetheless, I probably should have acknowledged your email and said I'd get back to you as soon as I had some time. Now is that time.

As you may know, I've only been chair of the Park & Recreation Board since December 2005, and PRB knows we need to get this Westside park moving. We had several items that I thought were more pressing during the first two meetings under my chairmanship, but we did discuss Westside park in February. There is no detailed "plan" for uses of the baseball/softball field. The site plan dated 10/8/05 is really just a sketch of roughly where the items to be included would fit best. This plan was informally approved, but never formally voted on, by the PRB last October; I just discovered this omission on February 28. It is my intention to bring this site plan to a vote at the next PRB meeting on March 20th. The park itself is scheduled to have its major construction done in 2009, so there's no urgency to come up with a detailed plan for using the field. We do intend to to do some rough grading and seeding of the soccer field area this year, but that's all the budget will allow for. As far as exactly what leagues or teams use the baseball/softball field -- that's way too far in the future to think about now. The PRB will begin to think about the 2007 budget in a couple of months; it remains to be seen if there will be any money allocated to do further work on the Park in 2007 or what work will logically come next.

The drawing that we're working with shows a distance of about 330 feet down the right-field line to a narrow road which will border the field, and more distance in all other directions. That seems to meet your dimension requirements, but it's also possible that some minor shifting of the various fields could increase the 330 feet somewhat. Location and distances could also change somewhat when we get the engineers in there to actually lay out the park. At this point there's no plan to put fences or lights in the Westside baseball field. I'm not too concerned at this point whether Westside is big enough for "real" baseball, because Lake Leota has a baseball field. I'm not sure what the demand is in town for "real" baseball; I intend to learn about this over the coming summer season.

As you know, the PRB has agreed to let HTL use the Leota field this summer for about 5 games because they want to start their games later in the evening; this field has the advantage of having lights already in place, as well as bleachers, concession stand, etc. I don't think it's wise to duplicate these expensive facilities at Westside, unless there's a clear unmet demand for baseball to the point where we clearly need two such fields. We might consider modifying the Lake Leota field sometime in the future to specialize it more for baseball. Right now, that makes much more sense to me than making the Westside park the "real" field, but even such modifications to Leota should be discussed in the future, not now, based, in part, on how HTL goes in Evansville for the next couple of years at the Leota field.

The Westside plan includes two soccer fields, because there is an unmet demand for soccer fields. Most of the strong advocates for this site plan were highly in favor of two soccer fields, I'm told by members of PRB who attended the October meeting. This plan was chosen from among four proposed plans. I don't think that decision should be re-visited, absent some very compelling reasons.

I hope this has answered your questions. If you want to discuss this more, either with me or with the PRB, you're welcome to come to the next PRB meeting at 6 p.m. on March 20 at City Hall, 3rd floor.

Westside Park; Background and What's Going on Now

2006-03-08T07:31:00.000-06:00

A reader of The EvansvilleObserver posted the following comment and questions, reacting to Observer's post containing the draft minutes of the Park and Recreation Board for its February 28 meeting. (These minutes are also a previous post on this blog.)

"I am wondering why, if this was planned for the West Side Park many years ago, why there is $10,000 needed for engineering studies done now out of the $70,000 proposed for the park?? Isn't this something that should have been done before this? Who is deciding who gets to do what? where? and when??? 2006? 2007? 2009??"

I wrote the following comment as a reply on the Observer. I also am posting it here, slightly edited, because it's possible its readers may not see it on the EvansvilleObserver. -- all the words below are mine.

"I'd like to start from square one to respond to this reader's comment and questions.

The Park and Recreation Board (PRB) proposes budget items to the City Council each year; this process starts in June or July, usually. So do all the other city departments. After putting all the requests together and making changes as seen fit, City Council approves the budget in late November or early December. Then the property-tax bills are sent out. The Capital budget contains, as well as actual money budgeted for the coming year, a 5 year projection of what projects the city would like to fund and how much money will be allocated. It is important to realize that these projections are only that and can change from year to year.

Thus the budget for 2006 was passed in late 2005 and contained $70K for the initial work on the Westside Park (WP), which is now basically a farm field owned by the city. It also projected approximately $1.5 million for major construction of the park in 2009. Again, that figure and year are a projection, not a firm commitment on the part of the city. The city only budgets one year at a time.

In October of 2005, a choice was finally made among several competing site plans for WP following much public input. There was no money budgeted in 2005 for detailed design or construction of WP, because no final site plan had been chosen. The reader's reference to "many years ago" doesn't fit with the facts as I've understood them since becoming PRB chair in Dec 2005.

So, because of the budget passed in 2005 and with an approved site plan, in 2006 PRB has its first money to spend on the detailed design of WP. Be clear, all we have to this point is a site plan. I don't know how much city money may have been expended in the past on coming up with this site plan. What happened or didn't happen in the past, I can't change.

What are the first steps to convert a farm field into WP? Budget some money to pay engineers &/or surveyors to go out to the field and, using the site plan that's been approved, begin to figure out how to move the dirt on a sloping field around to make the area designated for soccer fields level and the baseball field level and the basketball court/ice skating area level. Figure out where the water and sewer pipes for the planned restrooms are to be placed, where the electricity is going to come from, etc. Work around the new city well on the north side of the WP property, together with all the pipes and utilities connecting it to the rest of Evansville. Perhaps do some utility roughing in?

You gotta have a detailed plan done by competent professionals; this isn't the movie "Field of Dreams". Perhaps this engineering work can be done for less than $10K, but that's what the previous PRB decided to request in the 2006 budget. The cost of the initial grading with big earth-moving machinery, subsequent smoothing and grass-seeding at least part of the area, once we have a detailed design, was estimated last year to be about $60K; that may be low. Perhaps, to stay within budget, only part of the park area will be graded in 2006. This is all conjecture until we get the engineer's detailed design.

Note: this is just INITIAL work. Major work on WP is projected for 2009. PRB is in charge of the decisions all along the way, within the annual budget constraints imposed by the City Council because of other city projects and how much tax revenue we can ask the citizens for.

PRB gives guidance, sometimes through the City Administrator's office, to the City Engineer and the Department of Public Works and possibly outside contractors to get the work done. Mr. Connors has requested that Foth & VanDyke, the city's engineering firm, "get started on the design engineering for the grading work. Please speak with Ald. Fred Juergens, Park Board Chairman, about this project before you start in on it."

It is possible that more work will be done in 2007 on WP. Discussions of what to work to budget for 2007 will occupy the PRB starting in June or July of 2006. Citizen input is always welcome at PRB meetings. Tax money, big-time, will be necessary to complete WP. Jump in and help decide the best way to do the job.

If this leaves you bleary-eyed.... well...this is a big complicated project with many details that need serious thought and planning to bring off well. That's what PRB is going to do over the next years. We hope Evansville will be happy with the WP that results.

Latest Park Board Meeting

2006-03-05T06:52:00.000-06:00

DRAFT Park & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes
Tuesday February 28th, 200 6at 6:00 p.m.
Council Chambers, City Hall

1. The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm. Present: Chair & Alderperson Fred Juergens, Members: Jerry Krueger, Sue Merritt, Lauren Scott. Staff: Rick Hamacher, Ray Anderson. Absent: Members Ron Carlsen, Barbara Jacobson, Karla Sendelbach. Quorum present. Public Works Director Dave Wartenweiler and four members of the Evansville community were also present.

2. Minutes of the January 16, 2006 meeting were approved as printed.

3. Citizen appearances (other than agenda items)

a. Ms. Nancy Grieve-Shannon, a 3rd Grade teacher in the Evansville schools, requested further guidance on the project she’s working on with her students to place more (and more attractive) recycling containers in Lake Leota Park. Mr. Ray Anderson assured her that his staff could empty new smaller recycling containers into the large one that Onyx empties on a regular basis. Ms. Ayn Steinlein commented that it would be good to have signage to indicate which waste containers were for recyclables and which for trash.

4. Lake Leota Draw-down update. No report

5. Franklin Park Design Update

a. Chair Juergens distributed a copy of the section of the 2006 Capital Budget and 5-year projection for the City relevant to the PRB. A short discussion of the relevant items ensued.

b. Chair Juergens stated that an email had been received from John Rasmussen of Water and Light, estimating that the cost to remove and/or relocate the two light poles could run on the order of $5,000. Rasmussen had walked Franklin Park with Juergens a few days earlier, and in response to a question, said that he did not know if there were any easements in place to allow the light poles to be there in the first place. Rasmussen also said that W&L chose to put a new pole well into the park area last summer because they couldn’t find the property line separating the Hay property from the Park. Since telephone and cable lines are also on one of the poles, further costs may be incurred when they are asked to move their facilities

c. There was no detailed plan presented as to what equipment should be purchased to replace the obsolete swing set, though Member Krueger and Citizen Steinlein had general ideas as to what they wanted to see where. There was further talk about a small shelter for a picnic table. The general consensus seems to be that a fence is not necessary for the park. Existing cracks in the new sidewalk were brought to the attention of the Public Works Director. Chair Juergens requested that a definite plan, including what equipment should be purchased immediately and its cost, be presented at the next PRB meeting in March.

6. Skate Park Update.

a. Bill Alt, representing the Skate Club, reported that the club has raised approximately $4200 towards its $5000 commitment. He assured the PRB that the remaining $800 will be raised by the time phase one of the park is completed.

b. Given the above-mentioned commitment from the Skate Club, Chair Juergens requested a motion to reduce the additional dollar amount the PRB is allocating to the Skate Park, out of its unallocated fund of $14,000, from $11,000 agreed to in January to $10,000. Member Merritt so moved, second from Lauren Scott. The motion passed unanimously. Chair Juergens will meet with the City Administrator to learn what steps are necessary to request Council approval of the necessary budget amendment at its March 2006 meeting.

7. Initial Discussion of West-side Park work for 2006.

a. Chair Juergens distributed a proposed plan for the West-side park dated 10/8/05 and an estimate of costs prepared by Dave Sauer, the City Engineer in January 2004.

b. A wide-ranging discussion ensued. Citizen Mason Braunschweig objected to the name of this agenda item, saying it was well past time for initial discussions, that they had been held years ago. The chair pointed out that this was the initial discussion of the actual work to be done in 2006. The budget contains $70,000 for work this year, including $10,000 for engineering studies. In the course of discussion, it was discovered that the 10/8/05 plan had never been officially approved; no PRB vote appeared in any recent minutes. Further, the plan could not be approved at this meeting, because such a possible motion was not included on the agenda. PRB will formally vote on the plan at its March 2006 meeting.

c. PRB will ask the City Administrator to request that the City Engineer begin survey work that will allow some grading to take place, once this plan is approved. Such work should take into account likely locations for utilities, roads, parking lots, etc., and give guidance to Public Works so that grading and initial grass seeding can occur in 2006, in the area where the soccer fields are likely to go. Mr. Braunschweig was insistent that work must begin this year, even though the major work on the park isn’t scheduled for several years, in 2009. This is the PRB’s intent; there’s no difference of opinion here.

8. Initial Discussion of Countryside Park Improvements for 2006.

a. a document from the City Administrator listing the fees received from developers over the last five years, in lieu of Parkland Dedication, was distributed to all members and staff. This indicates that approximately $140,000 is available to the PRB through such fees. It was mentioned that funds from several east-side developments were earmarked for Countryside Park.

b. Chair Juergens reviewed an email from Bill Connors, writing as a private citizen, describing the need for more swings, other playground equipment and possible restroom facilities at Countryside Park.

c. Discussion followed, including ideas to remove some of the existing fence, at least on North Water Street, building a shelter in the Park, installation of more playground equipment in a suitable location. Mr. Anderson and Mr. Wartenweiler are concerned about possible vandalism of any permanent restroom facilities in the park. It was proposed that the removed fencing might be recycled by using it to separate the Skate Park from Tennis Court #2. Mr. Anderson said it wouldn’t be cost effective to reclaim the support structure, but that the chain-link fabric could be re-used.

d. Public Works will investigate where sewer and water lines are on the periphery of the Park so as to get a rough idea of what would be necessary to install restroom facilities, perhaps as part of a shelter.

e. It was proposed that the Chair begin to try to form a neighborhood group to come up with some more definite plans for improving Countryside Park. Such plans should not interfere with the existing soccer fields. The Chair will do so.

9. Aquatic Report:

a. Aquatic Director Hamacher commented on a memo he had earlier distributed to members of PRB. In it he outlined two options for staffing the park store, and recommended Option #2. Further discussion of this will be on the agenda for the March PRB meeting. Loose ends are being tied up; pool painting and striping will be done when weather permits; brochures are being printed. Ads for Staff are in the Review.

10. Improvements and Maintenance Report: Mr. Ray Anderson

a. Bathroom construction in the upper park is coming along with the cooperation of the high-school students. Most work should be complete by March 15th.

12. Old Business: None

13. New business: None

14. Adjourn: Motion made at 7:32 pm. seconded and approved without dissent.

Minutes Drafted by Chair Juergens 3/4/06. These are not official until approved at a subsequent meeting.

Get Out the Vote

2006-02-23T07:14:00.000-06:00

Election Day is April 4, 2006 in the City of Evansville. On the ballot will be a contest for Mayor of Evansville, two contested City Council races, and two referenda. Karen Aikman & Sandy Decker are running for Mayor, surviving last Tuesday's primary. In District 1, there's a contest for Council, with Jon Senn and Mason Braunschweig running for the seat incumbent Thane Anderson is vacating. I'm running for election for a two-year term in District 2; I'm unopposed, unless a write-in candidate emerges; I'm an appointed incumbent of 3 months tenure so far. In District 3, no candidate filed (incumbent Karen Aikman is running for Mayor); who knows what's going to happen there? In District 4, Wayne Steinlein is running against incumbent John Sornson. Also, four candidates are running for two seats on the School Board, so citizens from surrounding towns, as well as from Evansville proper, will be voting for them.

Each of the four Districts in Evansville are served by two alders, and they serve alternating two year terms. One seat in each district normally is filled each year. In 2005, because of a vacancy on the City Council, two seats were available in District 1. Thane Anderson was unopposed and received 103 votes to a one-year term, until April 2006. In the other District 1 race for a full two-year term, incumbent Bill Hammann and Barbara Jacobson each received 66 votes; Hamman won by a coin-flip. In District 2, incumbent Tom Cothard was re-elected in 2005 without opposition, receiving only 61 votes. Similarly, in District 3, Diane Roberts won without opposition, polling 64 votes, and in District 4, Dennis Wessels won without opposition, polling 64 votes. Only 385 total ballots were cast throughout Evansville. My crude but generous estimate is that those ballots represent only about 1/7 of the eligible voters in the city.

Recapping, in 2005, five City Council seats were available. In four of them, there was no opposition. The fifth was decided by a coin flip. So for all five races (a majority of the eight-member council!) the voters didn't actually choose among competing candidates. And about 6 of every 7 voters in Evansville didn't even bother to vote.

Going back a year further, I've learned that District #3 Alderperson Aikman was unopposed in her 2004 election. I don't yet know about Wessels in District #4 or Kooyman in District #2 or whoever was elected in District #1 that year and later left, vacating the seat which Thane Anderson got by running unopposed in 2005.

I don't know about you, but to me, this information demonstrates an appalling apathy of the citizens of Evansville toward city governance. The apathy takes two forms. The first form is the lack of citizen interest in serving as an elected official. I think all officials should live in fear of the next election. But incumbents face no opposition, why should they worry about developing policies that will best serve Evansville or justifying such policies to voters in an effort to win re-election? I assure you I'll try to do my best in the public interest (as I'm sure all the current alders will), but still, wouldn't it be better for voters in all districts to have a choice of candidates in this coming election? And who will serve District 3? Some stealth write-in candidate who may win with a handful of votes? It's happened before.

The second form of apathy is lack of citizen interest in even coming out to vote. After all, why bother to vote if you don't have a choice? Actually, in 2005, there were city-wide choices: for State Superintendent of Education and for three candidates for the Evansville District Board of Education. Still, 6 out of 7 eligible voters didn't bother to exercise their responsibilities, inform themselves about the candidates and make a choice. It's been said that in a democracy, people get the government they deserve. The message to local officials seems to be that the citizenry in general doesn't give a hoot (or whatever stronger word you may think is appropriate) about what goes on in city hall or the school board.

My fervent hope is that the coming election will attract much more interest from the citizenry. The recent mayoral primary brought out about 3 times the expected number of people, according to Evansville's City Clerk. I think that's great, but still only about 1/6 of those eligible exercised their right and responsibility to vote.

I don't care if you've lived in Evansville all your life or just moved here yesterday. If you're 18 and a US citizen, you'll be eligible to vote in April, if you can prove at the polls that you've lived in Evansville ten days before the election. You have about six weeks to learn what District you live in, who your candidates are and why they're qualified to seek your vote. If they're incumbents, what is their record on issues you care about? Thomas Jefferson said, "The influence over government must be shared by all the people.", and also, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

Even though I'm unopposed, I intend to do door-to-door contacting of my constituents in District 2, trying to learn what their concerns about Evansville are. If I don't get to your door, please feel free to call me (phone number's in the book) and talk. Or tell me as a comment to this post. I think it's part of your responsibility as a citizen to participate in the democracy you've been given to live in. Whatever you do or don't do, you'll have to live with the consequences.

R.I.P. -- NOT!

2006-02-22T17:33:00.000-06:00

I'm pleased to report (paraphrasing Mark Twain I believe) that announcements of the death of this blog are greatly exaggerated.

While I was away from Evansville, missing the February 14th City Council meeting, the Council agenda containing an item relating to a discussion of the use of e-mail as a possible violation of Wisconsin's Open Meetings law. Apparently City Administrator Bill Connors thought it was a timely topic and asked City Attorney Mark Kopp to get the Council up to date on the issue. Kopp wrote up some information and sent it to all the council members by snail-mail but, of course, I didn't get it until my return to Evansville yesterday.

Subsequent to that meeting, a couple of other Evansville bloggers wrote things about free speech and one even posted a cartoon of a tombstone heading a comment about the possible fate of EvilleAlderFred. Also, I received an e-mail from Bill Connors asking me to get in touch with Attorney Kopp to discuss the blog issue with him -- whether my hosting or participating in a blog might inadvertently put me in violation of the Open Meetings law. Down there on Mexico, I started wondering what the heck was going on back in WI in my absence.

Now that I'm back, I've contacted the City Attorney as well as reviewing his snail-mail letter about use of email as an alderman. It's important to realize that there are two separate issues here. The first is the use of e-mail. I'll address that first.

I've used e-mail for many years; it's a natural part of my communication pattern, as much so as telephone and face-to-face contact. When I became an alder, I read the Handbook for Wisconsin Municipal Officials, published in 2002 by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. Perhaps not carefully enough. Now that I've read it again and considered Attorney Kopp's opinion, I realize that my communicating with other alders by e-mail may possibly constitute an Open Meeting violation. As I understand the situation, sending an e-mail to even one other alder, should we both be members of a 3-member committee, could be a violation, because two "decision-makers" are communicating (and could be considered to be having a conversation) out of the public eye. We two constitute a majority of the committee; hence, a "meeting" has taken place. While this seems a bit bizarre, it's something I'll have to learn to deal with. The WI Attorney General issued some guidelines on this in 2000 and 2004.

I respect and would always advocate for open government. Any transgressions I might have made in the past three months or so were inadvertent and innocent and didn't affect any decisions made by me or others, to my knowledge. Now that I'm no longer ignorant of the law, caution is the best approach. I will abandon the use of e-mail in communicating with other alders on city matters. Sounds like the only place we can legally talk to each other about anything relating to city business is in a properly noticed, open meeting. Could make for some long meetings, though...

The second issue is the one about an alder hosting or participating in a blog. Attorney Kopp, in conversation with me this afternoon, said that during the last Council meeting, someone mentioned blogs as an add-on to the e-mail discussion. Sort of a "Are blogs like e-mail?" query to to the City Attorney. The concern here, apparently, is whether blogs which allow the posting of comments may be considered to be a conversation. More specifically, if I as an alder write a post, could another alder, even anonymously, reply with a comment, and then could this be considered a "meeting" and thus a possible violation of the Open Meeting law. That seems to be quite a stretch, don't you think? So, as I understand Attorney Kopp, does he. I received no indication from him that a blog is somehow inappropriate for a public official. Just to be on the safe side, at the conclusion of our conversation, I asked him to take a look at EvilleAlderFred and tell me about any concerns he might have about its content, from an Open Meeting standpoint.

Nonetheless, prudence dictates that I take two steps: I will request in public at the next City Council meeting that no other alder reply, either on the blog or in any other way, to any posting I make on EvilleAlderFred. Further, I am revising the blog header to have such a request be a permanently-posted part of the blog. I can't keep other alders from reading EvilleAlderFred, but I won't accept or post any "conversation" from them about city business, outside of properly-noticed open meetings.

I believe that now I will be in full compliance with the law. I started EvilleAlderFred to communicate with my constituents and all citizens of Evansville about my views of how the city operates. The goal of the blog all along has been to promote citizen involvement in Evansville' s government and to have a dialogue with as many of them as possible. Ideally this would happen before decisions get made that affect the city, whether it's tax rates, what parks get what equipment, what happens with Lake Leota, paving bricks on Main Street, TIF districts, or a myriad of others.

Earlier comments elsewhere about dangers to freedom of speech in Evansville were overblown, I think. I'm very happy to report that, and I'm personally very relieved. A public battle about the First Amendment is unlikely. It's possible, of course, that some citizens of Evansville and others may disagree with what I say on EvilleAlderFred. They may disagree with comments made by others in response to my posts. They may not like the fact that EvilleAlderFred exists at all. They have a right to their opinions, but they have no right to try to take away my rights, or the rights of those who comment on EvilleAlderFred, to freedom of speech. I do not intend to be squelched, so long as I am following the law. I will make every attempt to do that.

EvilleAlderFred will continue to be part of my service to Evansville for as long as I am in public office. Let's continue the dialogue. I have hopes that we can all learn from each other, and that decisions that affect our city will be better-made and better-understood as a result.

Regrets

2006-02-14T11:13:00.000-06:00

As some readers may know, I have been on a vacation -- one that was planned and paid for long before I was appointed to City Council. Four weeks, from Jan 24 until Feb 21 in the amazing city of Oaxaca, Mexico. It´s my second visit here; eight years ago, I spent 3 weeks in the city. I love Mexico in general, and I´ve spent five vacations here in the last 8 years.

That being said, I´ve tried to stay in touch with what´s going on in Evansville via email. I only get to it about once a week. It´s been interesting to read the agendas of the various city meetings and I know what I´m missing. The only meeting I´ll actually miss is tonight´s council meeting, and from the agenda sent by Jim Beilke, I´m really sorry I can´t attend.

In the future, I intend to plan vacations or other reasons for being away from Evansville so as not to interfere with my responsibilities to the city. I take those responsibilities seriously. I will be back for the Public Works and Park&Recreation Board meetings later this month. I´ll get caught up as fast as possible.

I voted absentee in the primary election before I left on my trip -- it´s possible that I was the first elector in Evansville to cast my ballot. Of course, it won´t be counted until February 21, election day. I urge all electors to go to the polls and vote for their selection for mayor on election day.

As always, interested citizens are welcome to comment.

Creeks and Streets

2006-01-24T09:59:00.000-06:00

Reflections on Public Works Meeting 1/23/06

Last night the Public Works Committee, of which I'm a member, held two public hearings.
� a report from Strand Associates engineering firm on the upstream watershed flowing into Lake Leota, Allen Creek and its tributaries.
� a discussion of two proposed designs from the Foth & Van Dyke engineering firm for reworking Main St in 2007.

The meeting was well-attended by many interested members of the Evansville community. Standing room only in the Council Chambers. Besides the information that was presented, what I came away from the meeting with was a sense of a lot of people working together to maintain the special character of our town. I was impressed with the questions asked, the suggestions offered, and the general interplay between the engineers, the PWC, and the community. I'm glad to be a part of it.

I expect there will be many more of these meetings on these topics. I urge others to attend. Irrevocable decisions are going to be made in the not-too-distant future, based on such meetings. Some of them may be hard to make, but make them we must. Please don't wait until it's too late, then ask, "Why did they do that and not do that other?". The time is now. I'm told that drawings of the two Main St designs are going to be available in the library, but I don't know when.

If you have questions, please contact your alderperson. I'm going to be out of town for 4 weeks, so I won't be up to date.

Draft of PRB Minutes, Jan 16, 2006

2006-01-23T15:00:00.000-06:00

DRAFT Park & Recreation Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, January 16, 2006 at 6:00 p.m.
Council Chambers, City Hall

1 & 2. The Chair called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Present: Chair & Alderperson Fred Juergens, Members: Ron Carlsen, Barbara Jacobson, Jerry Krueger, Sue Merritt, Karla Sendelbach. Staff: Rick Hamacher, Ray Anderson. Absent: Member Lauren Scott. Quorum present. At least 18 members of the Evansville community were also present.

3. Minutes of the November 14, 2006 meeting and of the December 19, 2005 meeting were approved as printed.

4. Citizen appearances (other than agenda items)

a. Mr. Larry Gransee presented his plan to donate a picnic table, two park benches and a waste receptacle to be placed in Lake Leota Park, near the bell tower. The city agreed to provide a concrete pad and perhaps a walkway to the area in question, and to install the furniture. Details will be worked out between Mr. Gransee and Ray Anderson.

b. Ms. Lisa Baines and her fiancé presented their plans for a wedding ceremony in Lake Leota Park on 24 June 2006. They wish to rent at least part of the horse barn and a number of picnic tables. Their plans seem to be a good use of the park facilities. They were encouraged to make the reservation with Ms. Lindemann at City Hall, to again inform the Park Board of their situation at its April or May meeting, just in case any potential problems may arise.

5. Water & Light Report.

a. Mr. John Rasmussen of the Evansville Water & Light Utility (WLU) presented information on the lights illuminating the upper baseball diamond at Lake Leota Park. He said that in the past the WLU had possession of the keys to the box that contains the switches for those lights, but the City Administrator had requested that the city have possession of those keys. He reported that the energy cost of the lights alone is roughly $5.71/hour, plus a PC/AC charge and a minimum monthly fee of $250. Last year the total cost to operate the lights was about $3177, and the lights were used approximately 32 hours. This works out to about $100/hour, so the energy cost itself is a small fraction of the total cost to provide lighting to the ball field. The first use of the lights is typically in April, the last in October.

b. Mr. Rasumussen also presented a newly drafted policy for operating those lights, especially in times of peak demand. Basically, WLU would have the authority to prohibit the lights from being used whenever a power emergency makes it necessary. He said that such an emergency has occurred only once in the past 27 years.

6. Discussion on Plans for Skate Board Park Construction and possible motion to recommend increased funding for this in 2006.

a. Chair Juergens presented a brief report on the skate board park in Lake Leota Park. It contained a brief history of the effort to complete a park, information from the City Administrator who has determined that installation of a skateboard park in and of itself would not increase the city’s insurance premium, (so long as equipment is professionally built and installed, appropriate signage posting rules for using the park, etc.) , an estimate of the cost to construct the latest design proposal , and a discussion of the items in the 2006 budget that are relevant to the construction.

b. Members of the group advocating for a skateboard park presented their information to the Board. It contained a detailed set of statistics on skateboard-related injuries compared to other activities at three different time periods, including the fact that the incidence of injuries in skateboarding is about 1/3 that of soccer, and about 1/5 that of both football and basketball. Pictures of other parks, their advantages and disadvantages, and information about current skate park activity in other municipalities such as Mt. Horeb and Monroe were also presented to the board.

c. Discussion ensued, with members of the Board and citizens attending the meeting giving their views. Skater safety is a major concern, as is the possibility that insurance costs may rise if there is a history of liability claims against the city due to injuries. Some speculated that the facility would not receive much use after the novelty wore off. It was pointed out that the skate board club has raised only about $4000 of its promised $5000 contribution to the cost of the project. Club representatives stated that fundraising is on-going. Concerns were also expressed about how the posted rules would be enforced. Public Works Staffer Ray Anderson reported that he checked with the Evansville Police Department about their experience with skateboarders. It was said that skateboarders have been encouraged to leave areas near the fire-department, some schools, the city hall, and the library. No citations have been issued. Aquatic Director Ric Hamacher reported that some boarders have been seen in the new pool facility. A boarder has been seen on East Main St.

d. The following motion was made and seconded: The Park and Recreation Board recommends tha the Evansville City Council amend the year 2006 Budged to re-assign $11,000 from “Unallocated Park and Pool Projects” to item C602, “Skateboard Park”, so that construction as proposed by the Skate Club may be completed in 2006.” The motion passed on a voice vote, with one dissent.

7. Discussion on Renovation of Franklin Park in 2006.

a. Board members Krueger and Carlson presented their work in investigating the park as it is now and their recommendations for improvements. These include removing some 22 feet of chain link fence that extends into the park area, removing utility poles in the interior of the park, fencing in telephone/cable boxes in the NE corner of the park, fencing along Highway 14 and Exchange St., repairing sidewalk cracks, adding a trash can, removing inappropriately located trees, moving existing playground equipment away from the east fence and installing new equipment.

b. Ray Anderson presented several drawings of a new park layout as designed by Burke Company, a well-known vendor of playground equipment.

c. A broad-ranging discussion ensued, with Board members and a number of residents living near the park participating actively. Some items mentioned were:
• most residents would prefer no fencing, but perhaps another type of barrier, a berm or landscaping to define park boundaries;
• a more family-friendly atmosphere, including perhaps a small shelter with a picnic table inside, more barbecue grills, park-benches, etc.
• a small “sliding hill” for small children to use when it snows.
• placing a historic windmill in the area of the park near to Hwy 14;
• locating whatever playground equipment is installed more centrally in the park area.
• WLU representative John Rasmussen will investigate the moving of the utility poles and report back to the PRB at its next meeting.

d. The discussion was brought to a close by the chair, who directed that Messrs. Krueger, Carlson and Anderson continue to work on finalizing a design for the park, taking into account all the input received at this meeting. It is the intention of the Board to complete this project in 2006.

8. Lake Leota Draw-down Update.

a. Mr. Gib Wiedenhoeft reported that permits are being sought from DNR for experimental dredging of the lake bottom. It’s very muddy in some areas, and no work could be done until some method of drying those areas is successful. The permitting process may not be complete until some 3-4 months in the future.

9. Aquatic Report: Mr. Rick Hamacher had nothing to report.

10. Improvements and Maintenance Report: Mr. Ray Anderson

a. Bathroom construction in the upper park is coming along with the cooperation of the high-school students being vital. It’s slow only because they can devote only a short time each day to the project.

b. A 3rd grade class in the school district is investigating putting an additional recycling container in Lake Leota Park. The city’s current waste management company, Onyx, will pick up recyclables from their own container only. This information has been relayed to the class’s teacher.

11. Review of Park and Recreation Board’s Smart Growth Plan action items for 2006.

a. The Chair had previously sent a copy of these items to the Board members. Upon review, it was recognized that there were few action items that really required immediate action.

b. One action item that should come up soon is the initial work on the new West Side Park, for which there is $70,000 in the current year’s budget. A plan for this initial work within budget must be finalized soon, and an initial discussion of this will appear on the February PRB meeting agenda.

12. Old Business: In response to a request from the Chair, Board member Karla Sendelbach volunteered to attempt to organize a group of volunteers to beautify city and park entrances through landscaping, flower-beds, etc.

13. New business:

a. Board member Barbara Jacobson raised the issue of how to operate the Park Store in Lake Leota Park this summer. She is concerned also about the finances of both the pool and the park store. Aquatic Direcctor Ric Hamacher pointed out that since 2006 budgeting for these items was completed late last year, it may be difficult to make any substantive change to the previous plans and allow a change in facility operation. This will be discussed further at a future PRB meeting.

b. The Board approved moving the date of its next meeting to accommodate a long-planned (before appointment to Council) vacation of the Chair. Thus the next meeting of the Park and Recreation Board will be Tuesday February 28, 2006 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

14. Adjourn: Motion made at 8:13 pm and approved.

Minutes drafted by PRB Chair Fred Juergens 1/20/2006; These minutes are not official until approved by the Park and Recreation Board.

Reporting or Distorting?

2006-01-22T13:46:00.000-06:00

How to account for the Evansville Review's report in its January 18, 2006 issue on an issue that came before City Council on January 10, 2006, acting on a petition for direct legislation? I decided I couldn't just post the resolution and the minutes, as I did in my previous post, and let it go at that. I want to set the record straight.

So below, I point out the inaccuracies, distortions, and falsehoods in the article. To be fair, I will also recognize what the reporter got right. I'm not going to bother typing the whole article out; if you read the Evansville Review, you can find it; I'll just indicate the salient parts. Which article? It's right under the masthead on Page 1.

• The headline reads: "City Council says NO to Calling Troops Home..."

This is at the very least inaccurate, and I believe it to be false. The city council voted unanimously in favor, in other words, YES, of a motion I made and Ald. Wessels seconded, not to adopt the resolution in question. The reason I made the motion as I did is simple. According to law, Council cannot vote against a resolution resulting from a petition for direct legislation. If Council does not wish to adopt the resolution itself, the resolution automatically goes on the next general election ballot as a referendum. Because the petitioners wanted a referendum, so that Evansville voters may express their opinion on the resolution in the privacy of the voting booth, they did not want the Council to adopt the resolution as the sense of the city.

• I believe the sub-headline quote to be accurate.

• In the body of the article, this appears: "...a resolution clearly not met well by a majority of the council members."

This is false. Council has eight members, and seven were present. Only three members expressed negative opinions on the content of the resolution (which content incidentally was not ever subject to a vote, no matter their personal opinions). The minutes of the meeting are clear on this. Three is not a majority of eight or of seven. Five is a majority of eight, and four is a majority of seven. This is simple math, isn't it? Though to be fair, perhaps the reporter spoke to other Council members after the meeting and got negative opinions from them privately; maybe she just didn't think it was important to say so. I know she didn't speak to me.

• It is true that I, as a CUUE member, support the resolution which will appear on the April 4, 2006 ballot. I helped gather signatures for the petition.

• In the body of the article, this appears: "This resolution came to the Council's table via private individuals."

This is false or at best misleading. It is stated twice on the page on which the resolution is printed, that a local "educational and political group called Citizens United of Union/Evansville" collected the signatures on the petition. While it is true that private individuals comprise the group called CUUE for short, they were not acting as private individuals, but as members of CUUE. This may be verified by talking to CUUE's president at the time, whose name is available to those who inquire. Furthermore, the reporter knew or should have known that CUUE was involved, because she had a lengthy discussion with CUUE's president several months ago, when CUUE issued a press release to the Evansville Review, telling of the beginning of the petition drive. The Evansville Review printed the press release.

• In the body of the article, this appears: "The Council was then asked to vote it up or down."

This is false. The motion I made was "not to adopt the resolution". I didn't ask Council to approve the resolution or to disapprove it. Had my motion failed, the resolution would not been voted "up". The false implication is that "it" in the quote above refers to the resolution itself. Council cannot by law vote the resolution down, and it did not do so. Nor did it vote in favor of the resolution. Council is officially neutral on the content of the resolution. It acted appropriately, in my view, to refer the resolution to the voters in the next election.

• I acknowledge that the reports of comments from Cothard, Wessels, and Sornson are correct in substance and probably as quoted.

• In the body of the article, this appears: "The only council member coming out in defense of the motion to vote yes was Fred Juergens."

This is false. The minutes of the meeting clearly state that Ald. Hammann spoke in favor of letting the issue go to the voters, which would be the result of voting yes on the motion I made. Although Mayor Ringhand did not vote, since there was no tie to break, she also expressed a sentiment similar to Hammann's, according to the minutes. And the final vote was a unanimous YES in favor of the motion. When it counted, no alderperson voted no. If a public voice vote isn't "coming out", I don't know what is. Perhaps a roll-call would have made a bigger impression on the reporter.

•The quote attributed to me is accurate. I do view a referendum where citizens can vote on a topic as "pure", as opposed to representative, democracy. It is precisely because our elected leaders sometimes fail us that the petition for direct legislation is guaranteed by state statute and enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Once the voters decide in April, CUUE will accept the result as the will of the city.

•In the article's last sentence: "Even though the motion failed unanimously...."

This is false. The minutes clearly state that the motion passed. It passed on a voice vote; the Mayor asked for "yes" votes, and many voices were heard, but I did not hear a single voice when the mayor asked for "no" votes. My hearing is failing to a small degree, but even so, I don't think I mis-heard this vote.

Now, I don't want to speculate on the reasons for the errors of fact and distortions in this article. I will leave that to the readers of this post. However I will say that, as a participant in this public Council meeting, I find it hard to believe that so many errors in reporting occurred accidentally in such a short article. My view is shared by several others with whom I have spoken, who also attended the meeting. The reporter witnessed the same events we did. She did not fact-check her report with me (possibly with nobody at all) before publishing it. This article certainly calls into question the credibility of the reporter, if not of the Evansville Review in general. Those who may continue to trust this reporter's by-lines do so at their own risk.

Incidentally, in connection with this event, I have spoken with 5 other reporters, from both print and broadcast media. The stories they produced were all accurate and fair.

Now that I am in public life, I will be watching all Evansville Review reports of official business in which I'm involved with a much more careful eye. Who knows what other distortions have appeared and may continue to appear in our local print press? Once uncovered, they'll be posted here.

Process versus Content; not a subtle distinction.

2006-01-21T17:55:00.000-06:00

It's about time I write about the City Council's action on January 10th which resulted in a resolution being placed on the ballot for the April 4, 2006 Evansville election. Here's the complete text of the resolution itself, the relevant part of the draft Council minutes of that meeting, and my take on events. The reason I'm laying all this out is so that readers may judge for themselves the accuracy of the reporting in some recent newspaper articles. (this post was revised about 12 hours after the original posting.)

First the resolution itself, as printed and submitted to Council: -------

City of Evansville
Resolution #2006-1
Request for a Withdrawal of United States Governments' Military Personnel from Iraq.

Whereas, the educational and political group called Citizens United of Union/Evansville has collected and submitted many more than the required 206 signatures of Evansville electors on a Petition for Direct Legislation to the City Clerk of the City of Evansville, Wisconsin ("Evansville"), pursuant to Wis. Stat Section 9.20; and

Whereas, the Evansville City Clerk has reviewed and certified this Petition for Direct Legislation and submitted to the Evansville Common Council, pursuant to Wisconsin law; and

Whereas, Wisconsin law requires that the Evansville Common Council either adopt the resolution in question itself, as set forth in full below, or refer it to a vote of the electors of Evansville Wisconsin in the next general election, in April 2006;

Now therefore, be it resolved that if the Common Council does not adopt the resolution, it shall be referred to a vote of the electors of Evansville on April 4, 2006, so that the citizens of Evansville may have their voices heard on an issue of local and national interest:

"It is hereby resolved that the people of the City of Evansville, Wisconsin request that the United States Government immediately begin an orderly and rapid withdrawal of all its military personnel from Iraq, beginning with the National Guard and Reserves."

drafted by Citizens United of Union/Evansville

Now the minutes ------

"New Business.
Motion Juergens, seconded by Wessels, not to adopt Resolution #2006-1, requesting the United States government to withdraw its military personnel from Iraq. Passing this motion would mean the question of whether to adopt the resolution would be placed on the ballot for the April 2006 election. Ald. Juergens stated the voice of the citizens of Evansville would be heard. This is the purest form of democracy, to let the voters decide. Ald. Sornson, Wessels, and Cothard stated they are very proud of the military personnel and do not want this resolution to tarnish them. They were not in favor of approving or placing this resolution on the April ballot. There was a discussion to table this matter until City Attorney Kopp reported that statutes dictate Council must act within 30 days from the date the direct legislation (resolution) was filed with the city clerk. Mayor Ringhand and Ald. Hammann favor letting the voters decide in the April election. Motion passed."

An explanation and my thoughts: The intent of the motion I made was to allow the Common Council to concentrate on the process of the petition for direct legislation, signed by 261 electors of the City of Evansville. The process is simple and laid out in the text above. Once the City Clerk certifies the petition, which he did on December 12, 2005, the Common Council, by law, has only two choices and must act within 30 days: either pass the resolution itself or refer it to the voters in the next election. No matter what their personal feelings may be on the content of the resolution, alderpersons cannot trump the will of their constituents as expressed by the 261 signatures of Evansville citizens collected by CUUE.

Of course, anyone, alderperson or not, can vote "NO" on the content of the resolution in the April election. From the minutes, it is clear that Ald. Hammann and Mayor Ringhand, as well as myself, recognize the validity of the process, which is specified in Wisconsin law and enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution precisely so that a not-so-small group of citizens can require their representatives to allow them to vote on an issue of interest. The Cothard, Wessels, Sornson statement in the minutes seems to me to refer more to the content of the resolution than to the process which statute requires the Council to follow.

The motion not to adopt the resolution passed. It did not fail, as was carelessly reported elsewhere. I might add that, even though the minutes do not reflect it, there was no dissenting vote. The result was that the City Council officially remained neutral on the content of the resolution in question. Its action didn't result in approval the of content or disapproval of the content; it unanimously referred the resolution to the voters. The Council did its job. Hence, the resolution will appear on the ballot on April 4, 2006.

Reports of this event appeared in The Evansville Review, the Janesville Gazette, the Madison Capital Times, and the Wisconsin State Journal. Only the Evansville Review reporter actually attended the Council meeting in question. I will leave it to the reader to judge the accuracy and fairness of the Review's article.

See what I mean?

2006-01-17T13:57:00.000-06:00

I published the three comments received so far in response to the post entitled "Mason's Take." I evaluated them according to the policy I stated in that post. Then, while two comments violate that policy, I published all three because I think they illustrate so well the points I was trying to make in that post. I'll take this opportunity to say why.

The first one in the thread says he thinks my "policy" is reasonable. I'm glad he agrees, because it was his thoughtful earlier query that caused me to rethink it. Even if he had not agreed, I suspect his response would have caused me to think a little harder about it and make me want to respond as I did to his first one.

The second one, from Clarice, adds nothing at all useful to the thread. She seems to take exception to "facts based in books". She does not provide her full name or address. I am happy to answer specific questions about my position on issues and my public life as President of CUUE and as an Alderman. If she has questions about "ME" (whatever she may mean by that), please ask specific ones privately (she has my email address), and if I don't consider them an invasion of privacy, I will answer or ignore them, depending on my own whims. But this most recent from her seems to be an archtype of complaint and whining. If Clarice doesn't agree, that's her perogative. But more like this won't get published. Give a full name and address, and it may, unless it's just more of the same old same old, & then -- it won't. My blog, my choice.

The third one is merely a personal attack, is anonymously posted. and is one to which there can be no reasonable response beyond "Sir or Madam, you may be right". More like this won't get published.

I hope I've answered Mason's question. Will Clarice and anonymous "get it" this time? I'd like to think so, but I'm not holding my breath....

Will the latter two comments give Mason and others a laugh?

Let's move on to discussing more interesting stuff that actually relates to my aldermanic responsibilities and city affairs. I've got things to do that I consider more important than dealing with more of this drivel.

Subject closed.

The Troop Withdrawal Referendum

2006-01-17T05:33:00.000-06:00

Perhaps the dust has started to settle (or maybe it hasn't!) after the initial controversy surrounding the placement of a troop withdrawal referendum on the ballot for Evansville's Spring 2006 election. That action was taken on January 10th by the City Council, of which I'm obviously now a member. Some members of the community became aware of this action after it was written up in the Evansville Observer, the Janesville Gazette, the Madison Capital Times, and, very briefly, in the Wisconsin State Journal.

I'd like to make some comments on the whole situation.

Last September, a group to which I belong, Citizens United of Union/Evansville (CUUE), learned of a provision in Wisconsin Statutes (Section 9.20) which allows citizens to directly petition their government to act on any matter of interest. CUUE developed a resolution which finally came to read as follows: "The citizens of Evansville, Wisconsin request that the United States Government begin an immediate and orderly withdrawal of all its military personnel from Iraq, beginning with the National Guard and Reserves."

Members of CUUE asked citizens of Evansville to sign a petition which would bring this resolution to the attention of Evansville's City Council. Following the law, 261 citizens signed CUUE's petition between October 1 to November 19, 2005. CUUE then submitted those signatures and the resolution that accompanied them to the Evansville City Clerk on November 23, 2005. Following the law and after consultation with the City Attorney, the Clerk verified that the petition and resolution were of proper form and contained sufficient signatures. He then submitted it to the Evansville City Council for action at its January 10, 2006 meeting.

Coincidentally, Alderman David Kooyman, who represented the 2nd District in Evansville, left town due to a job change last fall. The City Council advertised for citizens living in the district to fill the vacant council seat until the April 2006 election. I applied for the seat. I believe I was the only person who did so. As a result, the City Council President, with other members concurring, appointed me to become an alderman for the 2nd district at their meeting on November 22, 2005. The fact that I am now an alderman has no relevance to CUUE's efforts. The resolution would have come to Council in any case.

Some citizens claim that this resolution shouldn't be the city's business. 261 citizens who signed the petition, and probably many more who didn't get the opportunity to do so, disagree. It is important to recognize that Wisconsin law gives citizens the right to petition their government on any question they choose. This is direct democracy in action. The content of the resolution is not the issue here. Citizens can write up any resolution they wish. If it is properly formulated, citizens can seek to collect signatures on a petition which will require their government to act on it. CUUE did so, on a matter of interest to its members and, we believed, to the citizens of Evansville. Whenever a legally prescribed number (in this case only 206 were required) of voting-age residents of Evansville sign a petition for direct legislation and this petition is determined to be of proper form and sufficient by the City Clerk, then the petition and the resolution it contains become the city's business. It must be acted on by council, which can either affirmatively pass the resolution itself or submit the resolution to the voters.

There are two items of interest here, content and process. It is important to distinguish between them. Citizens who disagree with the content of the resolution are free to vote against it in the coming April election. Their voices will be counted; democracy at work. Citizens who oppose the the process by which the resolution was placed on the ballot should direct their concerns to their state government representatives, Assemblyman Brett Davis, Senator Jon Erpenbach, and Governor Jim Doyle. These are the people who are responsible for writing the statutes governing the process.

The members of CUUE pursued the process to create a dialogue in Evansville on the content of the resolution. Why? Because we believe there should be a public debate on the prosecution of the Iraq war, and we believe that the citizens of Evansville should have the opportunity to express their private opinions in a publicly verifiable manner. Everyone will know on April 5th: X number of people voted yes on the resolution; Y people voted no. Forget opinion polls with their margin of error and other flaws; you only get to express your opinion of you're one of about 400 people in the state who are asked. Of course, citizens have other ways to express their opinions, telephoning, emailing, writing their national leaders, attempting to get letters to the editor of local newspapers published, etc. But what's the best way to send a message? VOTE. That's how we do things in America. The right to petition the government is granted by the original Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the United States. No one should try to deny me the right to vote.

It is important to realize that similar efforts to place resolutions on local ballots are succeeding in many other municipalities throughout Wisconsin. Grassroots groups like CUUE have been hard at work in at least 30 municipalities, large and small, to give Wisconsin citizens the opportunity to express their views on the Iraq war. Some say that the 2004 election was an adequate expression of those views. Voters at that time had a variety of reasons to prefer one candidate over the other; the vote was not merely a referendum on the war. A year later, more and more citizens are realizing the problems this war is causing, locally, nationally, internationally. They deserve an opportunity to express their views on the war in as many ways as they wish. I think this resolution is a generous gift to the City of Evansville.

Some may say that because I'm an alderman, I shouldn't engage in CUUE's activities. I disagree. I did not give up my right to act on my personal beliefs and as a private citizen when I was appointed to city council. So long as there is no conflict of interest between my personal life and my public responsibilities as outlined in statute, I intend to pursue both vigorously. Constituents who may think otherwise are free to express themselves in the April election. I'm proud to be running for a full two-year term as alderman from the 2nd district.

Mason's take on picking which comments to post.

2006-01-16T08:31:00.000-06:00

Mason, you've made valid points in your comment to my previous post. I appreciate your taking the time to write. I guess I had hoped that by denying publication of comments containing personal attacks, I might encourage those making them to elevate their discourse, if they actually have anything useful to contribute. It's the teacher in me coming out -- publishing all comments initially, but commenting on the ones that seem to primarily just complain and whine, and then refusing to publish more of the same if they appear to come from the same person. Maybe it wasn't the best teaching technique, because, in at least one case, a further complaint just appeared in another blog.

I'm learning that some readers just don't get it. It seems that their habitual mode of expressing disagreement is complaining. They ignore facts and reasons when presented to them. They avoid answering questions posed to them. They raise irrelevant questions. It appears that they have little to offer beyond accusations -- no support for their claims, no suggestions for future action. Strong opinions, no knowledge, unwillingness to consider or even acknowledge other points of view.

So what is responsible blog-ism in such cases? Publish all comments, no matter what I think of them? Deny publication to all anonymous comments? Write a personal note to the authors of anonymous comments I dislike, explaining why they won't be published?

To me it's sort of the same issue as what to do with people who might disagree with Bush, in your example. Me, I'd let them into open meetings and face their questions, if those questions were reasonable, no matter how difficult. Of course, that's a judgement call. I'd squelch them if they disrupted the meetings in any way or just called him names and tried to shout him down. It's all about civility, letting people have their say, and having an honest dialogue.

I've been trying to think this through as I've been writing, and it's not been easy; my mind works slowly some times. Here's my revised publication "policy", and it's subject to change depending on what happens. I will publish comments submitted to my blog under the following conditions:

• comments, whether anonymous or not, that actually address issues of interest to citizens of Evansville in response to a post I've put onto the blog will be published;
• comments I consider to be mere complaints or personal attacks will be published -- so long as they contain the name & address and email address of the writer.
• repetitious comments that appear to be from the same writer and that fail, in my opinion, to move the discourse forward and/or show no consideration or understanding of possible intervening comments will not be published.

So, thank you for your comment. Like I frequently say, I'm new at this stuff, and I'm finding my way. Everything is tentative and subject to change. And, as I also say, further constructive comments are appreciated.

Comments posted, most of them.

2006-01-14T07:12:00.000-06:00

Finally, I figured out the problem with the comment posting. Most of the comments in the backlog have been posted. Thanks for your patience while I worked this out.

I found a couple of the delayed comments to be little more than personal attacks on me. While I suppose that comes with the territory, I chose not to publish them on the blog.

Airing differences of opinion is one thing. In fact I welcome the opportunity to discuss those differences, especially if such a discussion illuminates an issue or controversy relating to something going on in Evansville. As I have said elsewhere, I have the utmost respect for opinions when backed by facts and/or a reasoned argument. Even if I disagree with a person's opinions, those comments will continue to be published, especially if they break new ground in a discussion. Those that stay at the level of unsubstantiated name-calling will not.

It's been said that you only have freedom of the press if you own the press. Creating blogs is one way that anyone with access to the internet can create his own press at no cost, except time and effort, and publish whatever wisdom or nonsense s/he wants. Those who takes umbrage at my picking and choosing among the comments submitted to my blog are free to start their own, put their ideas out into the public realm, and attempt to influence discourse.

Your Comments Delayed

2006-01-10T16:09:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry to report that I have not been able to post any of readers' comments to this blog in the last few days. I've got a glitch that I haven't had time to fix yet. Rest assured that I received them, I want to post them, and I hope to figure out the problem soon.

Hometown: Evansville

2006-01-08T13:16:00.000-06:00

An anonymous reader of this blog has taken me to task for asserting, among other things, that Evansville is my hometown. S/He defines a "hometown" as the place where a person is born and raised. I was born and raised near Cincinnati, OH, so I don't fit that definition.

However, I look at "hometown" in a different light. OK, I'm not an Evansville native, but I have chosen to make my home in this town. I married an Evansville native and moved here over 5 years ago. We own our home here. We have no intentions of leaving. We're both involved in community activities. We've both taken on leadership responsibilities in city affairs. We support local businesses. We encourage others to do the same.

Only about a quarter of Evansville's residential households have been established for more than 25 years, according the The Smart Growth survey in 2004, and another quarter have been here, 11-25 years. I'm in the other half, those who have lived here ten years or less, but we're almost half the households (47%). That proportion will only increase, in my opinion, as Evansville's population grows due to people moving here.

The rapid population growth of Evansville in the last 25 years (42%; more than four times the growth rate of Rock County as a whole) is certainly not due to the fecundity of its natives. People who move into town are just as much citizens of Evansville as those who were born here, in my view. We make own homes here, we pay taxes here, our votes count just as much as those of natives do, many of us raise our kids here (not me, admittedly, but my wife did, and there are grandkids here too) and participate actively in its public life.

I'm proud to say that, according to my view, Evansville is my hometown. I would prefer being welcomed to being resented by the natives. I'm glad to say that, for the most part, I am. As an alderperson, I look forward to working with residents of the 2nd district and of Evansville as a whole. I believe we can all work together, whether we've lived here 80 years or 80 days. Doubtless, because of the influx of newcomers, some natives feel that Evansville has changed. You can't turn back the clock; change is inevitable. The issue is how to manage that change to make the quality of life in our hometown as good as possible for as many of our citizens as possible,, newcomers and natives alike, given the constraint of available resources.

I'm new at this political stuff. It was probably "politically incorrect" to call one of the commentators on this blog a "complainer" in my post entitled "Franklin Park, etc." I used that word in response to the comment which called some decisions made by city employees or officials as "dumb" and "stupid", after which the writer "gave up on this city". My Websters' Dictionary defines complaint: "an expression of resentment or discontent"; readers may decide if my characterization was fair or not. I think complaints add little if anything to a discussion, especially when there is no accompanying positive suggestion to alleviate the cause of the complaint. Nonetheless, a more "correct" response might have been either silence or perhaps a simple statement: "Dear Sir or Madam, you may be right."

Please get in touch if you have constructive, as opposed to destructive, comments or questions about how our hometown operates. Your opinions matter, if I know what they are. Constituent opinion is seldom 100% on one side of any issue, and in such cases, I will investigate the facts and use my best judgment in deciding how to deal with it. I'll try to be rational and reasonable, no doubt disappointing some while pleasing others. That's life in a democracy.

The Primary Question

2006-01-07T11:33:00.000-06:00

Oddly enough, Wisconsin State Law does not mandate a primary in municipal elections when three or more candidates are vying for a particular office. It does allow for the the OPTION of a primary in municipal elections, if City Council gets its act together within 3 days after the filing deadline. The Council must affirmatively state that it wants a primary in order to legally hold one, on a case by case basis.

Here in Evansville (or Eville, as I sometimes call it -- apparently too flippantly for some readers) three candidates filed for Mayor. And, due to the diligence of our Clerk and City Administrator, we had a special Common Council meeting yesterday afternoon to decide whether to hold a primary election or not -- properly noticed etc., 24 hours beforehand. In addition to the full Common Council, the Mayor, the City Clerk and City Administrator, the three candidates for Mayor, (Aikman, Anderson, Decker) all attended this meeting. No one else was present. When discussion of the main issue on the table began, Alderperson Aikman, who is one of the three candidates, excused herself from the Council table.

The remaining seven alders discussed the two options, primary or no primary. I believe below is a fair summary of the discussion. In addition, I mentioned a third option -- Instant Run-off Voting. However with the short time frame for making a final decision and because of doubts as to whether such voting is legal in Wisconsin, this third option was not seriously explored.

What are the pluses of a primary?
• by allowing only two candidates to advance to the general election, the city is assured that whoever is elected then has support from at least 51% of the voters;
• allows voters who vote for the defeated primary candidate to vote for one of the two remaining candidates in the general election.

What are the minuses of a primary?
• It's more expensive to run two elections than one;
• it could result in a candidate being elected with as little as 34% of the vote, in a three-candidate race.
• voter turn-out at primaries is frequently smaller and may attract mostly the strong supporters of the candidates, as opposed to the general electorate;
• it requires more effort and expenditures from the primary-surviving candidates, to run in two elections.

The three candidates were asked their views and unanimously endorsed a primary. They seemed not to be greatly concerned about the two last minuses. Council was advised by the Clerk that the cost of a second election would be manageable, on the order of $500 or so.

After the deliberations, Council voted unanimously (Aikman not at the table) in favor of holding a primary election for Mayor on Feb 21, 2006.

Instant Run-off Voting (IRV) is a voting technique which allows voters to rank several candidates in order of preference in just one election, rather than requiring two elections. Interested readers can get more information by googling the term. It removes all the minuses of a primary, while maintaining the pluses. IRV is used in municipal elections in other states, and in private elections, such as for the Heismann Trophy in college football and frequently for union leadership. I think it's a good system, though it may require some voter education.

City Administrator Bill Connors has some familiarity with IRV and said he would get a definitive answer as to whether it is or is not legal for municipal elections in Wisconsin. He will also determine whether our current voting machines can be programmed to permit IRV. If the answers to these questions are positive, I intend to push for an ordinance to use IRV in future instances where three or more candidates run for a municipal office in Evansville.

Constructive comments and questions from interested citizens are always welcome.

Spring Election News.

2006-01-04T16:04:00.000-06:00

This post was edited about 6 hours after its initial posting.

The date for filing for candidacy for the Spring 2006 elections for the City of Evansville has passed, with one possible exception, I believe. THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL REPORT. It's only what I've heard in a conversation with the City Clerk and what I believe to be true. Only the Clerk can officially certify who has filed the necessary documents for running for Evansville elected offices.

Three people have filed for Mayor: Karen Aikman, who's a current alderperson from District #3; Mike Anderson, of whom I know little except that I think he's a City of Madison firefighter; Sandy Decker, currently chair of the E'ville Historic Preservation Commission. Because there are three candidates, a primary may be held on 21 February to reduce the field to two candidates for the April 4th general election. It's not yet clear if statutes require a primary, according to City Clerk, or whether it can be a three-person race. I assume readers know that Janis Ringhand is not running for another term for Mayor.

District One Alderperson; Two people have filed: Mason Braunschweig, who has made some comments on this blog, and Jon Senn, of whom I know nothing. Because the current incumbent, Thane (Andy) Anderson, has not filed, I believe other persons may file until Jan 6th. (I'm not totally sure of this; interested parties should check with City Clerk for the official word.)

District Two Alderperson; I have filed as the incumbent (about 6 weeks after having been appointed to the office) and no one else has. Therefore I'm unopposed in the April election, unless, perhaps, a write-in candidate appears. I have mixed feelings about this lack of a contest. One the one hand, I'm relieved that I don't have to engage in a campaign; on the other hand, I regret that there's so little interest in serving on City Council from citizens in my district. Lack of interest in public service is the precursor to the demise of democracy, IMHO. I look forward to a full term on Council, if that is what the voters in District Two want. I suppose I shouldn't grump about lack of opposition as long as I think I'm doing a good job. It's the indifference of the electorate that worries me.

District Three Alderperson; To my knowledge, no one has filed for this open seat, being vacated by Karen Aikman as she runs for Mayor. This is even more dismaying than the situation in my District Two. Is there no one else living in the northeast quadrant of Evansville willing to help govern this city? Or is it that you're just so un-informed that you don't even know there's a Council seat open? Either way, the citizens of District Three collectively are failing to take on the responsibilties of democracy, IMHO. If this sounds like a knock, I guess it is. Deal with it. Tell me why I'm wrong, if you think I am.

District Four Alderperson; Two people have filed; John Sornson, the incumbent; and Wayne Steinlein, of whom I know nothing beyond what has been posted in the blog called the Evansville Observer.

I would urge all candidates to use whatever media outlets are available, including free blogs like this one that I've just started, to make their views on city issues known to the citizenry. (I just figured out how to do this blog last week; it's not hard, and I'll be glad to teach what I've learned to any candidate who asks.) The Evansville Review may publish announcements of candidacy, as it did for Aikman, Decker, and myself. The Gazette may do something. I hope issues will be identified and discussed. May all the potential voters learn about the qualifications of the people who are offering to represent them in city government. May all the electors come to the polls on Election Day. Democracy needs you. Good luck to all, and may the best candidate win.

Skateboard Response #2

2006-01-04T08:29:00.000-06:00

I did not give as full an answer to the question of city liability for the proposed skatepark as I should have, when it was first raised by Mr Braunschweig in a comment on an earlier post. I'll try to do better in the future. When I said "I have been told", what I meant was that I've understood the following after discussions with citizens promoting the skate park:

"Evansville city officials say that installation of a skatepark by qualified suppliers will not increase the liability of the city, from an insurance standpoint. "

I now realize that I have not heard this with my own ears or seen it in writing directly from a city official, and I will investigate this further, asking questions of the city administrator. If he doesn't have direct answers, I'll ask him to check with the insurance carrier for the city and with the city attorney. I will have answers before this issue comes up at the next Park & Recreation Board meeting on January 16th.

If putting in a skatepark would increase our city's insurance premiums drastically, that certainly would be a consideration in any final decision to install one. In my view, one would have decide to balance costs vs. benefits, once we know what those costs might (or might not) be. It certainly merits deliberation, but we have to have the facts first.

Many Wisconsin communities have installed skateparks in public parks, and last Monday it was reported in the Capital Times that Mt. Horeb is considering installing one. I find it difficult to believe that any of these communities would do skateparks if liability were a major issue; certainly it must have come up. I believe that, in Minnesota, state law requires that skateparks have an attendant and payment of a user-fee. Wisconsin law apparently does not. On the other hand, our Leota Park swimming pool operates with attendants and fees. I don't know how much of our pool costs, including a portion of whatever liability insurance costs the city might have, are subsidized by the city and how much paid for by user fees. It's worth looking into.

Since Mr. Braunschweig is an attorney, he no doubt knows the pitfalls of posing hypothetical questions and asking for gut reactions. I choose not to answer his hypotheticals now. If in my tenure on city council, they do come up as real issues, I will deal with them at that time, seeking as many facts as possible, trying to balance competing interests, and using my best judgment before making a decision. "Gut reaction" will NOT be the way I, as alder, deal with the issues facing the city.

The proposed skatepark equipment supplier builds its ramps' substructure from pressure-treated wood fastened with galvanzed carriage bolts, the skating surfaces from a proprietary board called "Skatelite" fastened down with stainless steel screws, steel safety railings, and waterproof rigid side-walls. The structure is warranted against structural failure for 10 years and the skating surface for five. The equipment is left in place year round.

The city now maintains its parks with (mostly) city personnel and equipment. The baseball field gets smoothed before games; a city employee drives a tractor over the field dragging some device which accomplishes the task. Tennis courts get resurfaced and lines repainted; signs get fixed; broken playground equipment gets repaired; stuff gets done, in general, by the department of public works. I've not yet participated in a budget deliberation for park-maintenance, so I don't know how the numbers have been set in the past. I assume it goes through the Public Works Committee, of which I'm the newest member. There will be some maintenance requirements, of course, for a skatepark. I'm not aware that any city official or employee, over the 3-4 years that the skatepark has been on the table, has raised concerns relating to extraordinary costs for maintaining it. Perhaps they should have. I will ask around.

Mr. Braunschweig has valid concerns, and I'm glad he's raising them before final decisions are made. I hope he will bring them to the PRB meeting on Jan 16th. I also ask that he offer solutions to the questions he raises in his final paragraph, perhaps after listening to what others might say about how skateboarding enthusiasts have been received in Evansville. He seems to have major concerns about spending tax money on what he considers to be a fad. Whether a skateboarding is, in fact, a fad is an open question, in my mind. I've also heard from people who say it's a growing sport and has been growing for a number of years. I have no direct knowledge, so I'll have to make a judgment based what I hear from people with differing viewpoints. We do need to be careful with city money; sometimes tough choices must be made. I don't make the choices myself; I'm only one of seven members of the PRB, and one of eight on City Council. However, barring unforeseen surprises, at this point I'm personally in favor of going forward with the skatepark. There's money in the 2006 capital budget for doing so.

I appreciate the opportunity to engage in this extended dialogue. However, the real action will be in public meetings of the PRB, and following that, in City Council, when all interested parties will have a chance to be heard. Stay informed and participate; democracy needs all of us.

TABOR and Evansville

2006-01-02T11:57:00.000-06:00

I doubt that there's any local official who's in favor of TABOR. I've put a link to a website containing information skeptical of TABOR on the left-hand (Freudian?) sidebar. Interested citizens should check it out.

I think TABOR is promoted by far-right ideologues who don't have any sense of why our government exists, which in my mind is to, among other goals, "promote the general welfare", as it says in the Preamble to the US Constitution. In a nationally-important statewide referendum on TABOR last November in Colorado, voters finally chose to give up their tax rebates to protect public services from continuous cuts. 13 years after TABOR initially passed there, Colorado residents voted it out because it devastated schools, services, highways and economic development efforts in this once-thriving mountain state.

Why should this matter to Wisconsin and to Evansville? There is significant pressure by some state legislators led by Frank Lasee (R-Bellevue, a Green Bay suburb) to enact a TABOR constitutional amendment in Wisconsin which would cap revenue and spending at the state and local level forcing the state, cities, counties, technical colleges and school district to cut budgets that are already facing shortfalls. TABOR ignores the "cost to continue" existing programs. That's why there were cuts in services to Colorado's citizens year after year. (Our 80th district Republican Assemblyman is on record as supporting TABOR; Senator Erpenbach doesn't.)

Here's an example: We've already seen TABOR-like cuts in school spending due to the artificial restrictions imposed by the state legislature in Wisconsin, in place for the last 12 years or so. Why so are many school districts in money trouble? The typical district in Wisconsin has to deal with a built-in annual deficit of 1.7%, a gap that forces cuts in staffing, programs, maintenance, and/or purchasing. The built-in structural deficit occurs because for most districts, the state’s revenue-limit law prevents school districts from spending enough just to maintain one year’s programming into the next year. Every year some existing program must be cut. Eventually you run out of the "fat" that may have initially existed; then you must cut muscle and bone.

The typical increase allowed under revenue limits is about 2.5%, but the typical increase in a cost-to-continue budget (one which simply maintains existing programming) is 4.2%, according to the survey. This results in a 1.7% deficit. For an average size district of about 2,000 students, that 1.7% annual deficit translates into nearly $400,000 in cuts, enough to cover the cost of a number of teachers. Evansville's school district has about 1750 students this year.

TABOR will bring similar restrictions to City government as well. How will we patch our potholes or build new parks then? What would be cut first? How would we recover, if we came to our senses after 13 years, as Colorado did?

Franklin Park, etc.

2006-01-02T10:11:00.000-06:00

I'm concerned about Franklin Park, primarily because I've put myself in a position where I bear some responsibility for it. Other elected officials in the past also bore responsibility and made decisions that some citizens do not approve of. That's in the past, and nothing can change it. The question is: what should The Park Board do now?

Those who are concerned about Franklin Park as a community facility, whether or not their own children may have aged past wanting to use it, should come to the next Park Board meeting on January 16 to give input. There's money in the budget, and action will be taken to improve the park this year, if I have my say. If the animal thing is "dumb", what do you propose in its place? The Park Board will be happy to listen to specifics. There will be a catalog of playground equipment available at City Hall for all to look at in advance of the meeting. I'll put it there myself on Wednesday Jan 4.

Countryside Park is not all that attractive -- yet -- in my opinion. The chain-link fence surrounding it isn't all that inviting -- again my opinion. I hope that we can come up with a better design and fence for Franklin, but it will cost some money. Citizens who want improvements in Countryside are welcome to raise their concerns with the Park Board -- especially if they have specific positive proposals to make. Brezezinski Park, at the corner of Prentice and Church Sts., may have more use than Countryside. Is it because there's no street-side fencing or because there are more kids in the area or ???? I don't see that the actual playground facilities are that much different in the two parks. I don't pretend to know all the answers, and I'm sure the Park Board would welcome input from all interested citizens.

I too question all the lights along Union St, and neglecting the farther east parts of Main St., but I didn't take the time to study the plans before the work was done. I don't know what went into that decision or what other options may have been proposed. That's in the past too, and it's not high on my own priority list to try to change what we got. The lights are there -- high ones for traffic; lower ones for pedestrians.

I believe Exchange St will be finished when weather and the good judgment of the Public Works Director permit. One of the things I learned while touring the city with Dave Wartenweiler is that he's opposed to trying to pave any new asphalt street in just one year. His view is that, to provide a durable surface, a base coat is put down in one year and driven on, allowed to settle, fill any low spots that develop, and then put on a second finish coat a year later. In his experience, that's the best way. Obviously DOT did it differently for the recent Main St rebuilding; as a State highway, it's their responsibility to do it right as they see fit. Meanwhile, I've got no good reason to dispute Dave's approach to Exchange St (or other new paving). I hope I've described his views accurately.

Citizens in position to make decisions about how the city runs are for the most part elected; the Mayor appoints some and Council hires others. Other citizens, who don't like those decisions, have several options: "giving up", calling decisions STUPID and becoming a general complainer after the fact, OR more POSITIVELY, actually becoming involved in future decision-making, so that bad decisions don't get made. And of course reasonable people can disagree about what's "bad". I'm sure there are other options as well, but these are the ones that come to mind after reading the comments I've addressed here.

One of the reasons I've started this blog is to "open up" what I'm thinking and doing as an appointed, hopefully soon to be elected, city Alderperson. I've learned quite a bit in just six weeks, and I've got a lot more to learn. I hope to be responsive to citizen concerns and perhaps to make clearer why decisions I participate in are made. I can't change the past. I've stuck my neck out by volunteering my skills, knowledge, attitudes and approach to problems to our city. I'll talk with those who may disagree with me. I hope that people will be reasonable and take the effort to learn the facts and why decisions were made on any issue of interest. I want to serve Evansville well. If people don't like what I do, well, that's why there are elections. In the meantime, I hope that I have "the ability to change the things that can be changed, the ability to accept what can't be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference". I invite every Evansville resident to share the work of making our city a hometown we can be proud of.

Response on Skateboard Park

2006-01-02T09:11:00.000-06:00

I got three comments on topics I'd raised earlier in this blog. I'm glad to have those comments and am pleased to respond to the concerns raised.

First, in this post, about the skateboard park, actually parks in general. What's the point of any park? To my way of thinking, a park is a place to go and have fun, and I'm not real picky about how you define fun, as long as it's legal. Different people have fun in different ways. Lake Leota park is our biggest, probably our oldest, and most varied park. Many years ago, there were cattle shows near what older residents still call the horse barn. That doesn't happen any more. 65-70 years ago, local unemployed men built most if not all the stone structures and walls along Allen Creek. Those are deteriorating. Should that continue? What would be lost if we don't invest in maintaining, modifying and improving our parks? Baseball fields with lights, new bathrooms, a pool, tennis courts and other amenities have been built at Lake Leota over the years, as the interests of the community changed. Should we stop doing that? There are proposals afoot to heat the pool with solar panels. Should we not do that because it will cost money? The new west side park, designed but not constructed, will have dedicated soccer fields. That wouldn't have happened twenty years ago, because there was very little interest in soccer. Now it's huge, and so we invest in facilities to accommodate the changing desires of the community. We're going to invest a lot; $70,000 is in the budget this year primarily to grade and seed that huge space, and almost $1.5 Million when things really get rolling in later years.

The proposed skate park will replace a deteriorating tennis court that's very seldom used; what should be done with that space, if not modify it to meet current needs? There are two other tennis courts in better shape in the same area. We have an interested group of youth and parents in Evansville who have been advocating for a skate park for at least four years. In the past, the city asked them to raise money to help fund the park, and they've done so. Currently there is no safe, dedicated public space for skateboarding. The kids have been rousted from several places in town where conditions are right for boarding, but inappropriate, because their activities interfere with other uses for those places. There are dedicated skate parks in villages and towns all around Evansville. Not everyone plays soccer. I believe it's time to respond to a growing group of youth who love skateboarding by investing a portion ($15,000 is in the skateboard budget this year) of our park budget this year and perhaps some in future years, in a facility for them.

Money pit? Expensive fad? In the big picture, I don't think so. I've tried to draw a bigger picture. Reasonable people may disagree, and that's why we have elections. As far as liability issues, I've been informed that as long as the skateboard facility is designed and installed by professional contractors (it will be) there's no extra liability or insurance cost to the city beyond what burden exists for any park facility. I looked into the possibility of saving money by building ramps, etc., using local volunteer labor. Such construction would cause insurance problems.

Thanks for giving me this opportunity to respond to your concerns. I hope this helps you understand my thinking. We'll be talking about Skateboard Park at the Park Board meeting on January 16th. All interested citizens are welcome to attend. And I'll be glad to continue the dialogue on the blog too, so long as it doesn't degenerate into mere complaining.

Behind the Scenes at Public Works

2006-01-01T17:36:00.000-06:00

Last Wednesday, Dave Wartenweiler, Evansville's Public Works Director, gave me as a new member of the Public Works Committee a 2 1/2 hr. tour of what he's responsible for. Another eye-opening experience for this new alder.

There's so much I've taken for granted about what makes Evanville tick. Do you know how many snow-plow trucks the city has? How often our huge sewer-cleaning truck works its way around town? Where our sewage goes? Where the city's wells are? Who worries about how to repair the stonework along Allen Creek below the dam in Lake Leota Park? Who takes down the snowflakes on the lightposts downtown?

Dave and his crew handle all this stuff. I believe he's short one employee right now, so if you want a challenging job, here's an opportunity.

I look at the joint between cement curbs and asphalt street paving in a new light now. Those joints open up with freeze-thaw cycles over a not-very-long time. Then they need to be sealed up with a black glop to prevent the streets from breaking up in the future. Does it get done often enough? Is there enough money in the PW budget to do it right?

We've got to maintain our city infrastructure. You can't just patch, patch, patch forever or ignore impending problems. The future of Lake Leota is up in the air right now. Figuring out what to do isn't going to be easy. Some pretty smart people are working on the technical aspects of how to prevent the lake from turning into a swamp. The rest of us will have to figure out what we're willing to pay for and how we'll benefit from a restored lake.

We've got to take care of our hometown the right way and that's inevitably going to cost. Let's all hope that the rebuilding of East Main and Union Streets was done right (by that I mostly mean really durable paving), and that the coming rebuilding of the rest of Main St from Allen Creek Bridge to First Street will get done right. I like the look of the pavers defining pedestrian crossings in the corner of Main and Union; it no doubt cost a little more to put those in, but I'm glad they're there.

I hope that the mood of the citizenry is not to leave the city worse off than it was when a previous generation was in charge. I think we all want a town we can be proud of.

Happy Circumstance

2006-01-01T14:52:00.000-06:00

As I began to link this blog to the only two other Evansville Blogs I know about (Dick Woulfe's "Evansville Observer" and Grumps' "Happy Circumstance"), I discovered some really cool links on their blogs. I'm not going to re-invent the wheel by putting all those links on THIS blog, but you really should check the links on those other sites out. Just click on those names over on the left sidebar and then look at the wealth of information they've organized for you. What a treat! Thanks, guys.

End of the year thoughts.

2005-12-31T19:00:00.000-06:00

One disappointment I had at my first Park & Recreation Board meeting was that, even though I had an ad placed in the Eville Review inviting citizens (I also extended a couple of personal invitations) from around Franklin Park to come and talk about what they wanted done with their park, no one came. I know it was close to Christmas and other holidays, but I was disappointed nonetheless. PRB will make a greater effort to invite citizens to give their input about their neighborhood park at the NEXT PRB meeting on January 16. PRB hopes to get this project off the ground as soon as the weather permits. If you want your opinion to be heard, come to the meeting

I've looked at the proposed skateboard park in Lake Leota Park. The proposal is to use one of three tennis courts there, the one with the worst surface and that has no net, as the location. The area will be resurfaced and fenced off from the adjacent tennis court for safety reasons. Then appropriate equipment will be installed. I've met with two people who've been advocating for this park for almost four years. I think it will be a good investment for the city. We'll hear more about this at the January 16th meeting and perhaps take some action to make a formal recommendation to City Council to get the skateboard park constructed this year. Those with opinions are invited to come to the meeting and be heard.

I've also met with a citizen who wants to donate some benches and a picnic table to be located in Lake Leota Park. We looked over a couple of proposed sites and settled on one. This will also be formally discussed at the PRB meeting on January 16, and it's likely some action will be taken.

I've been hearing from citizens who would like to be involved with the various small flower gardens in public places, little spots of beauty for our town. I'd like to organize a "Friends of Evansville's Public Gardens" (you can probably come up with a better name!) to plant and maintain small patches already existing and perhaps some new ones. Any takers?

I'm discovering how much fun it is to be involved with citizens who want to contribute to Evansville. I'm proud to get to know them. Together we'll move our home-town forward to the benefit of all who live here.

Park & Recreation Board Chair

2005-12-31T18:34:00.000-06:00

I prepared for my first meeting (Dec 19, 2005) as Chair of the Parks & Recreation Board (PRB) by looking over as many minutes of previous meetings of PRB as I could locate. I also contacted two long-term members of PRB to discuss where the Board was on several issues that it's been dealing with. I couldn't ask the previous chair of PRB, because he left town to take another job. I did ask his predecessor, Bill Hamman, and he basically told me that it was my responsibility to go forward on the issues. He did it in a very nice way, but it was plain I need to put my shoulder to the wheel and take the initiative.

What really got me going was a question on the Evansville Observer Blog, asking what's going to happen to the Franklin St Park. I know so little -- I didn't even know where the park was. I learned. I talked to Bill Connors, City Administrator. I learned about what $$ is in the current budget. I went over to Franklin St. Park and looked at its equipment. I took some pictures. I got some catalogs of playground equipment from Connors. I talked with Director of Public Works, Dave Wartenweiler, about a security barrier (fence) to keep kids from running out into the corner of Union St and E. Main St. (That's at the north end of the park.)

I also learned that some residents have been pushing for a skateboard park for a number of years, without much apparent motion on the part of the city fathers. I looked into this too.

I constructed my first agenda for a PRB meeting and, just to be sure they knew, called each of the other PRB members to make sure they'd attend. I sent off the agenda to City Hall with a request that it be sent out to all PRB members.

Meeting time: I was nervous. I hadn't met most of the other members, none of whom is an alder; they're all citizens appointed by the mayor to 3 year terms. The meeting went reasonably well, except that the members hadn't gotten the agenda. (that problem has been fixed.) We did talk about Franklin Park and the proposed Skateboard Park. I was embarrassed to discover that I ignored two men who were in the audience until the meeting was almost over. Turns out I should have recognized them earlier under the Agenda Item "Citizen Appearances". They gently asked for permission to speak under new business, which of course was granted. They wanted to talk about the Evansville Home Talent Baseball Team and to request permission to play some of their home games in 2006 under the lights at Lake Leota Park's baseball field. The Board and the two reps. had a good discussion; we'll do as much as possible to make this happen.

Overall, I felt the meeting went pretty well. Minutes will be available at City Hall and hopefully on the City website, for those who are interested. We didn't take much action at the meeting, but actions will be taken at future meetings as I learn more of how to manage the responsibilities that PRB has.

Those for whom this report raises questions, please send comments or contact me by email.

First Regular City Council Meeting

2005-12-31T18:23:00.000-06:00

My first regular city council meeting was on December 13. I'd been reading minutes of previous meetings of the council and also of the Plan Commission (PC) to try to get up to speed on what's happening. PC had been working on several ordinances and was recommending passage to the Council; I'd attended their meeting on Dec 5 to get a flavor of how they operated.

One ordinance would allow owners of older small houses on small lots to rebuild if it was damaged for any reason; current set-back regulations wouldn't allow this. Seemed reasonable to me, and it passed unanimously.

Other zoning ordinances from PC would rezone some of the land between E Main St and Water St near the railroad tracks to allow building on lots for which current zoning setbacks would disallow. Seemed reasonable to me, and it passed unanimously. It was only after I came home from the meeting that I wondered who owned this land, and what benefit would accrue to the city from this. I should have asked some questions before voting. Another lesson learned---think of questions before it's too late to ask them.

Most of the rest of the meeting seemed fairly routine to me. I hope I didn't miss anything else that I should have asked questions about. I need to learn about all this zoning stuff. I will.

Public Works Committee Member

2005-12-31T18:09:00.000-06:00

After being appointed to the Council and to the Public Works Committee and as Chair of the Park & Recreation Board, I attended my first committee meeting as a member of the Public Works Committee on Nov. 28. Bill Hamman, 1st District alder is chair of this committee, and John Sornson, 4th District alder is the other member. City staff also attend these meetings, Dave Wartenweiler, Director of Public Works, and Dave Sauer, City Engineer.

Representatives from a group wanting to renovate the current Ace Hardware Building on East Main discussed their plans and asked for support and information from the committee. I realized that I'm in a position to influence these plans -- decisions need to be made by all concerned parties, and these decisions will impact the future of Evansville. It's sort of a thrill to have this dawn on me, and sobering at the same time. I've taken on a serious responsibility by becoming an alderperson.

This feeling intensified as other topics came up for discussion, what type of paving for Main St when it's reconstructed, redesign of the intersection of South Madison and Water St., possible rebuild of the Main St Bridge over Allen Creek, to name a few. I admire the grasp of these issues shown by other attendees at this meeting, and I'm beginning to understand that there is no more "they". It's "we" who figure out the future of Evansville, and I'm part of that "we" to a larger degree than I ever was before.

My first meeting.

2005-12-31T17:51:00.000-06:00

I was sworn in as an alder for the Evansville City Council on 11/22/05, at a special Council meeting primarily convened to pass the final city budget and tax levy for 2006, so the property tax bills could be sent out on time.

This was necessary because prior that time, the City had only an estimate of the valuation of real property in the city. The budget had been previously constructed using this estimate. The estimate and the final actual value, once received, were within one percent, so there was no real serious problem. So the budget was amended to insert the final actual value and adjust the mill rate accordingly.

Though I had not participated in constructing the budget, I voted "aye" to pass it. Afterwards I had a qualm or two... should I have abstained, because I really didn't know what I was voting on? Or should I have accepted the collective wisdom of the rest of the council and the city administration, and vote as I did? The budget passed unanimously and would have passed had I not voted, of course. Just a qualm.

I've resolved not to vote on issues I don't completely understand, once I get up to speed on learning the history of what's gone on before my appointment. I hope that won't take too much time, but there's a lot of learning to do.

Five Weeks Along

2005-12-31T14:51:00.000-06:00

This is my first post on this new blog. After five weeks as an Evansville alderperson, I have an increasing sense of responsibility for making things happen in Evansville. Good things. I was appointed to be chairman of the Park & Recreation Board, and serve on the Public Works Committee too. More posts will come as I learn how this blogging thing works.

I invite all residents of Evansville and surrounding townships to add their comments to any of my posts. I will listen and hopefully learn from what you have to say. Thanks for reading.