Horicon Council Approves Grant Applications For Street Project
9/28/16 – The City of Horicon is looking to reconstruct a stretch of West Lake Street from John Deere’s driveway east to Larrabee Street. The council last night signed off on submitting two grant applications to help fund the project. Clerk-Treasurer Kristen Jacobson says asphalt will be removed and replaced with concrete to better accommodate for West Lake Street’s heavy truck traffic. She believes curb and gutter will be included in the effort but utilities will not part of the project. City officials anticipate the project will cost around $1,400,000. Horicon is applying for two separate grants to help fund the project, a $400,000 economic assistance grant through the state department of transportation and a $500,000 community development block grant that requires a 100% match. Officials say the applications are tied to job creation, specifically the 80 new full-time jobs expected to be created by John Deere’s expansion. Jacobson says this street project has been in and out of the city’s five-year plan for a handful of recent years. While the project likely will not be completed for a couple of years, Jacobson says the city wanted to take the opportunity now to apply for these grants to limit Horicon’s project cost. The city plans to officially submit the applications in the coming weeks.
Horicon Park Shelters To Get New Roofs
9/28/16 – Three buildings in Horicon’s River Bend Park will soon have new roofs. The replacements will be on the park’s north shelter along with the softball concession stand and building near the tennis courts. The total project cost is $5,000.
Horicon To Pay $17,000 For Consulting Services
9/28/16 – Horicon’s City Council last night approved a payment for consulting services. Ehlers and Associates will receive $17,000 for aiding the city in its debt issuance. Earlier this month, the council approved the sale of $1.6-million dollars’ worth of general obligation bonds to fund road reconstructions and projects tied to its newest tax incremental finance district.
Columbus Schools Traffic Patters Being Evaluated
9/28/16 – Columbus school administrators, the city council and Police Chief Dan Meister are working on ways to make the dropping-off and picking-up of kids at school more safe. Columbus elementary and middle schools are across the street from each other, which officials say causes numerous safety and traffic problems. A number of traffic pattern and ordinance changes are being proposed. That includes adding new drop off lanes on Richmond Street, adding handicapped parking places in the Dickason Boulevard parking lot at Columbus Elementary, and changing the ordinance dealing with school bus stop signals. The Police Department is recommending the changes which are in the process of being scrutinized by the city council and school administration.
All But Two Sun Prairie Schools Reopen Following Mold Discovery
9/28/16 – Many students in Sun Prairie are returning to class today after mold was found inside two schools. Every school in the district was closed on Monday. All schools have now been cleared to re-open except Eastside Elementary and Patrick Marsh Middle School. Elementary school are being told to meet at the school at 8am and they will be bussed to a different location. Middle School students will be bussed to a temporary location starting tomorrow.
Two Birds Test Positive For West Nile In Jefferson County
9/28/16 – The Jefferson County Health Department has confirmed that two birds in the county have tested positive for West Nile Virus since May 1. Officials say the birds testing positive for the mosquito-transmitted virus means that residents of Jefferson County need to be more vigilant in taking protective measures to prevent bites.
Waupun Senior Expo Being Held Thursday
9/28/16 – Area seniors and their families have an opportunity Thursday to learn more about services and other opportunities available to them as they enter their golden years. The third annual Waupun Senior Expo is being held tomorrow at the Central Wisconsin Christian School. Karen Gibbs, with the sponsoring agency the Active Adult Resource Council, says the group had such success with the Beaver Dam Senior Expo every spring for the past ten years and soon realized that it would be a good idea to reach out to Dodge and Fond du Lac counties. Vendor booths will be open from 9am until 2pm offering a wide variety of senior-friendly services; Schroud Auction will be offering antique appraisals until 1pm. There will also be music in the morning from the CWC Children’s Choir and in the afternoon from The Crawfords. The Dodge County Master Gardeners will give a presentation on plants using plants for arts and crafts at 10am. The YMCA will offer a yoga demonstration at 11am. Bingo begins at noon. Lunch will be available with proceeds benefitting the school. The Waupun Senior Expo runs from 9am until 2pm. Central Wisconsin Christian School is located at 301 Fox Lake Road in Waupun. There is free admission.
Highway 151 Overpass Damage Upwards Of $500K
9/28/16 – State Patrol Inspector Scott Hlinak says damage a truck hauling a crane did to the new Fond du Lac County Highway T overpass above Highway 151 in June was costly. He says not only were there fines, but an insurance company will be paying north of $500,000 for the cost of closing the highway and putting in a new girder on the bridge to replace the one that was damaged. Several bridges in the County were done during the incident on June 4th, but those bridges did not need repair.
Teen Rescued From House Fire In West Bend
9/28/16 – Two West Bend firefighters saved an 18-year-old woman who was trapped in the basement of a burning home on Eagle Lane Monday morning. Washington County Sheriff’s officials say the woman’s 24-year-old brother alerted authorities after an explosion woke him and he found heavy smoke and fire coming from the basement where his sister was. She was taken to St. Mary’s Burn Center in Milwaukee. He was treated at St. Joseph’s in West Bend for minor cuts to his hands and arms.
Out-Of-State UW-Madison Students May See Tuition Hike
9/28/16 – It could soon cost more for out-of-state students to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Chancellor Rebecca Blank is also seeking to increase tuition for students in professional schools. During her State of the University speech this week, Blank also told faculty that the flagship school in Madison will distribute nine million dollars in raises and bonuses to faculty and academic staff. Blank said the university needs to stabilize its financial basis as state funding declines. The last time regents approved tuition increases for non-resident and professional school students at U-W-Madison was in spring 2015.
Illegal To Talk On Cell In Construction Zone Starting Saturday
9/28/16 – It will soon be against the law in Wisconsin to talk on a hand held cell phone while driving through a construction zone. Starting Saturday, those who don’t stop chatting when passing orange barrels and highway workers can be given a 40-dollar ticket. The only exception is for calling 9-1-1. Hands free and Bluetooth cell devices will remain legal. It’s already against the law to write and read text messages while behind the wheel. David Hunt of the state D-O-T says drivers who enter work zones need “undivided attention,” and in the five years ending in 2015, Wisconsin has had 47 deaths in highway construction areas — and another 36-hundred were injured.
