December 2nd meeting minutes

Minutes for the December 2nd, 2008 Town Board meeting are online and available for download.

agenda for December 16th Town Board meeting

The agenda for this evening's town board meeting is available for download. One of the items up for vote is approval to pay Virchow Krause a little over $2,000 to identify staffing needs for the Grand Chute police department.

Paper Valley Roller Girls looking to knock fans off their feet

Copyright Robert L Buettner 2008. RLB Photography

Since it's too cold to work up on a roof today, I've got some time to finish this post that I've been working on. Enjoy!

Every once in a while, and event will come up for Town Board approval that catches my eye. Even after approval, personal curiosity gets the best of me, and I have to investigate a little further. This happened last month when the Board approved a special events permit for the Paper Valley Roller Girls when they host the Toronto Roller Derby at the Skaters Edge, Grand Chute on January 17, 2009.

According to their Web site, "PVRG is a non-profit, skater owned and operated organization dedicated to knocking our fans and our opponents off their feet with our unique blend of hard-hitting competition and entertainment." Sounds good, but I had a feeling this was only the tip of the wheel, so to speak.

The ladies of PVRG were good sports and kind enough to answer all of my questions.

Can you explain, for those readers with limited knowledge, how roller derby works.

(Reference from http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/roller-derby4.htm)

"The game itself is a series of races between two teams of five players. Each team's jammer is the only player to score points. Three blockers try to stop the other team's jammer while propelling their own jammer forward. Each team's pivot acts like the pace car in a NASCAR race and controls the speed of the pack. She also keeps an eye on the jammers, calls her team's plays and acts as a blocker. Helmet designs differentiate the positions -- jammers wear stars, pivots wear stripes and blockers wear blank helmets.

Each race is called a jam and lasts up to two minutes. At the start of the jam, the pivots and blockers gather in formation at the starting line. The referee blows a whistle, and they skate as a pack while the jammers wait at the starting line. When the pack is 20 feet from the starting line, the referee blows the whistle again, and the jammers start to skate.

The jammers try to catch up to the pack, work their way through and come out the other side. No one scores any points during the first lap, but the first jammer to pass the opposing team's pivot becomes the lead jammer. A referee points out the lead jammer and follows her progress around the track. The lead jammer can "call the jam" before the end of the two-minute period by putting her hand on her hips.

When the lead jammer calls the jam or the two-minute period ends, play stops and the officials calculate the score. Teams get one point for each opposing player the jammer passes during each lap. In general, this is four points per lap -- one for each opposing player."

Copyright Robert L Buettner 2008. RLB Photography

Why do you think Roller Derby is seeing a resurgence?

Women of all shapes, sizes and skill levels can play this full contact sport. It's not easy, by any means, but the idea behind a strong team bond on and off the derby track is attractive. The girls who are part of the Paper Valley Roller Girls are truly in it for the sport. We play fairly, but always play to win. In other leagues, I have seen the idea of equal playing time happen and that works for them. FAIR playing time is what we do and it's all about what you earn as a player during practices, in your off skate work, fund raising for the league and community volunteering efforts. You'd be surprised how much philanthropy is involved in derby

Copyright Robert L Buettner 2008. RLB Photography

How did the Paper Valley Roller Girls come about?

The Paper Valley Roller Girls were looking to become a WFTDA league, to compete nationally, and to be a non profit organization geared towards helping the communities in which we live. This is our first year as a league and we are proud of the enterprise that we have built. As derby is a true business, you can't imagine how much paperwork is involved in getting everything done efficiently. We are full of type A personalities and every voice counts. As a voting membership, everyone gets a say in things like what we want our logo to be to what our Bylaws should be and how to implement them.

Copyright Robert L Buettner 2008. RLB Photography

Do team members have nicknames? If so, can you give us a sample?

We have a roster of girls with derby names. We use derby names in practices and bouts:

Amy Grindhouse, B-xXxtreme, BeckOff B***h, Blarney StonYa, Blazin' Britches, Busta B. Otch, 9mm, Chauncy Lightbottoms, Chop StikYa, Eda Beeva, Faye Talblow, Fisted Cysta, Ginger Gunns, Grin' Reaper, Gynomite, Major Chaos, Neva Soba, Nightmare on JStreet
Pissy Pistol, Snap CrakYa Pop, Supreme Court, TDB dba Wrongway Feldman, Tate, Terra McFearsom

I would imagine being on a roller derby team doesn't quite have the financial benefits of say, being on a Major League Baseball team. What's the diversity in careers from PVRG team members?

(We're) Stay-at home moms, students, outside sales, inside sales, marketing director, technical support, web manager, healthcare manager, customer service, volunteer coordinator, business owner, loan officer....we represent ALL women. There's no one career that dominates any other in our league. The league is what brings everyone together from different backgrounds. We work hard, play hard, and derby harder. That's what makes derby unique.

How often do you practice?

We practice 3 times a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays 7-9 Skaters Edge, Appleton. Sundays 6-8 The Gem, Appleton

Speed practices are optional Wednesdays and Fridays from 4:45-6:30 at Skaters Edge, Appleton.

We know it's a big time commitment for our members but we try and make it as easy on the families as we can. The skaters bring their kids so they can watch mom in action, and so the parents don't have to pay for child care. It's cool, the kids are a blast!

Copyright Robert L Buettner 2008. RLB Photography

Is the attendance growing at your events?

Our first home bout is January 17, 2009 at Skaters Edge 7 pm. Tickets are on sale now either on line, from your favorite derby girl, or at the rink. Other ticket sale venues are being discussed but nothing has been decided yet. Our capacity is 576 and we do expect a big crowd with those numbers but will have to wait and see. You can see the rest of our season schedule on myspace, facebook, or our web site at www.papervalleyrollergirls.com.

How did you first meet go?

We traveled to Grand Rapids, MI to bout G-Rap Attack! We won 86-69. We were down at half time but came back when we got over our nerves. It was our first travel bout and our first bout as a new league. G-Rap were great hosts and we plan on playing them again. It was FUN! Pissy Pistol won the "Dance Off Pants Off" dance contest at the after bout party. G-Rap wants a dance floor rematch as well...we'll give it to them!

I see on your web site the PVRG support events in our community. Could you go into this in more detail.

We volunteer at Packer games and make money for the Wolf River Stars, a dance team out of New London. We have volunteered, and plan to do more volunteering, for the Boys and Girls Club out of Appleton. We are donating a portion of our proceeds to the non profits organizations who help us at our bouts. The first bout, we are donating a portion of the proceeds to Toys for Tots. We have plans to work with the Humane Society and ohter non profit organizations in the Paper Valley.

How does the team pay for travel and equipment expenses. Do you have any fundraisers coming up?

We are always looking for sponsors. We already have some but are always in need of more. We do fund raising as well. As we are headed for non profit status, the Packer Games serve as a double whammy for us. We make money for anothe rnon profit organization and we get a portion of the proceeds as well. it's a win-wn. We are currently having a penny war to raise some funds for our Mississippi trip in February. If you see a derby girl's Penny War poster or contribution cup, make sure to give them your loose change...or GIANT bills...either one works.

Our next fund raisier we will be downtown Appleton at Chadwicks handing out champaigne on New Year's Eve. We will also be in downtown Appleton that same weekend at Chadwicks, Mill Creek and The Bar - on the Ave. Come on down and have some fun!

What kind of volunteers are you looking for at your next home event? And how would interested people contact the PVRG if they wanted to volunteer?

Would you like to get into the bouts free?
Would you like to get into the after party free?
The Paper Valley Roller Girls are actively recruiting volunteers for our home bouts.
WE WILL TRAIN YOU!
--Reffing
--Stats
--Security
--Video
--DJ
--Beverage service
--Ticket Sales

contact info@papervalleyrollergirls.com

Anything else you would like to add?

We are always looking for good athletes. If you haven't skated in a while or ever, we will train you. The comraderie you feel when you are part of an organization like the Paper Valley Roller Girls is hard to describe, you'd have to come and see for yourself! If you're competitive and LOVE to win, derby is for you. There are a few derby teams in the area. Visit the practices and see what fits you. It's all about derby sisterhood. We can travel across teh country and would be welcome with open arms at any derby team's practice. It's great!

Hope to see you on the track!

October 28th Police Advisory Committee minutes

Minutes from the October 28th police advisory committee meeting are finally available for download.

October 21st meeting mintues

Minutes for the October 21st Town Board meeting were missing, but now are posted and ready for download. GCJesse, I have an inquiry out about why the police advisory meeting minutes were taken down from the web site.

Meeting minutes updated

For those of you who have been asking, minutes from the Town Board meetings on November 6th and November 18th are posted on the Grand Chute town Web site. I am still tracking the October 21st meeting minutes.

The Performing Arts Center report to the Town Board

Dick Bergstrom and Laura Braun spoke at the town board meeting and applauded the Town of Grand Chute moving forward with the room tax. As you may already know, Grand Chute is home to the largest portion of hotels in the Fox Valley. The room tax was designated to help build the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. Loan payments are $685,000 a year ffor the building. The room tax has generated an average income of $850,000 a year. Over 1 million dollars has been generated in surplus over the past five years. They believe by 2021 the building will be paid off. This is 4 years earlier than projected.

Other facts that were presented included:

• It's estimated the PAC brings in 14.3 million dollars into the Fox Valley each year.
• The education program has touched 20,000 children and 4,000 schools in Wisconsin.
• The arts series have brought in performance groups as far away as Russia.
• The PAC boasts 13 Wisconsin Premiers, including the Lion King.
• The facility is currently operating at 79 percent true-earned revenues. The current national average is 45-55 percent.

Agenda for December 2nd Town Board meeting.

Part of my family after Thanksgiving Dinner.
With seven kids, it's hard to get everyone in a photo!

I'm back after a short break for hunting (didn't see any deer this year) and Thanksgiving (had a great time with the family). Look for regular postings to resume. The agenda for tonight's town board meeting is available for download and review.

Guest article: the public’s right to know vs. individual’s right to privacy

My friend Lavilla Capener is a budding journalist student at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She recently had an feature article published online regarding privacy rights, discrimination, and Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (CCAP). I think the article is very well written, and thought my blog readers would find it interesting as well. Below is an excerpt, along with a link to the full article.

Nice job Lavilla!

Online court records raise new questions about access and privacy

By Lavilla Capener

“Matt” could have been any college kid in Wisconsin. A shy honors student who enjoyed composing music and creative writing, Matt was three credits away from graduating from UW-Madison when he had his first manic episode in 2006.

Later diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, Matt sent out threatening e-mails to several professors and female students. As a result, Matt was charged with four disorderly conduct misdemeanors, was under restraining order and spent some time in jail. As Matt attempted to find a job after the episode, he discovered that employers did not want anything to do with him.

Although Matt’s mother knows it is illegal to discriminate based on convictions or pending court cases, she says she believes potential employers are checking her son’s record on Wisconsin’s online database, commonly referred to as CCAP, and not hiring him because of it.

“He’s a wonderful and gifted writer, but it will be difficult for him to get a job as a writer with this CCAP situation as it is,” said Matt’s mom, who asked that her family’s names not be used for this story. “He has this stigma now attached to his name.”

Matt’s cases are currently pending in Dane County Circuit Court. Meanwhile, he has yet to find stable employment. Matt currently works at Chrysalis, an organization that provides sheltered employment to people with mental illnesses.

Millions of people use the state’s online court records database every day without restriction to look up the records of their friends, neighbors and co-workers. But at what cost?

Before the Internet, a person had to physically visit a county courthouse to access court records to learn about the arrests or convictions of a neighbor, relative or teacher. Now, more than 3 million people a day view Wisconsin circuit court records online. This has ignited a debate about the precarious balance between the public’s right to know and an individual’s right to privacy, bringing out passionate opinions on all sides of the issue.

read more

Building destroyed in fire complete loss

I stopped by the scene of last night's fire at the old Krispy Kreme building on the corner of College Ave and Bluemound Dr. The building was under renovation with Aspen Dental set to move in as part of it's expansion. I spoke with the project manager (who happens to be my cousin). He said the building is a complete loss and will need to be leveled. He said he believes plans are for a rebuild.

The assistant fire chief was there as well. He indicated the wind was blowing so hard, crews had their hands full trying to contain the fire so it wouldn't spread to nearby buildings. Kudos to our fire department!

Special Town meeting tonight

Tonight's meeting at 7:15 is the resolution to approve additional 2009 highway expenditures. The proposed expenditures exceed the maximum of $615,000 allowed by state statutes. This special meeting is a town vote, and includes capital improvement projects scheduled for next year, such as Casaloma West. The regular Town Board meeting will follow.

The late posting is due to the meeting being announced on the Town of Grand Chute web site as under November 20th. The official posting is November 18th.

Tuesday, November 18th meeting agenda

The agenda for tonight's Town Board meeting is available for download. One of the items added to the Chairman's report is discussion of reconstruction of the State 96 (Wisconsin Ave.) corridor near the Fox River Mall. If you've been by this area, it's a real mess with single late roads and construction stoplights restricting traffic. I spoke with Representative Tom Nelson this morning regarding the construction delays. He's calling DOT officials to see if there is some way to improve traffic flow before next week's Thanksgiving shopping season. I'll keep readers updated after he calls me back.

Update: A representative from Tom Nelson's office said the goal is to have the Casaloma and Wisconsin Ave intersection open, and the orange barrels removed before Thanksgiving weekend.

VHBA coordinates Toys for Tots Program

The Valley Home Builders Association, (of which I am a member) is a coordinating office for the 2008 Toys for Tots program, assisting the United States Marine Corps. The following link provides a list of businesses throughout the Fox Cities that have drop off boxes for this year's collection. Please consider a donation to this worthy program.

Behind the 2009 Budget: COLA increases

As a Grand Chute Town Supervisor, I make a little over $10,800 a year serving residents. I noticed in the 2009 budget that salaries for the next supervisors' terms were increased over $300. I asked why there was an increase. Apparently, compensation is automatically increased by the cost of living after each supervisors two year term.

In these tough economic times, I feel it's important that every area of the town cuts back on spending. I declined the increase in salary for the supervisor's term for 2009-2011. The raise has been taken off the budget.

Sustainable Fox Valley meeting tonight

A message from Leslie Taylor:

Hi,

This is a reminder that there will be an orientation meeting tomorrow, Wednesday November 12th, 7 - 8 p.m. at Appleton Public Library, for everyone in the area who is interested in the sustainable community "movement" or in being part of local eco-municipality efforts.

So far it looks like we will have at least 3 circles coming together & ready to start meeting in early January. The Town of Grand Chute, Heckrodt Wetland Reserve in Menasha, and an Appleton city neighborhood are each planning to host circle meetings. Other new circles can form wherever there is interest and a sponsoring community organization, business or municipality.

If you're interested but can't make it tomorrow, let me know and I'll find another opportunity to connect you with a circle.

Also please pass this message on to others who might like to be involved in exploring the possibilities.

Thank you!

Leslie Taylor

Sustainable Fox Valley Initiative
--
Leslie Taylor
920-739-7307

Meeting minutes updated

Expect to see a flurry of posts coming up in the next few days.
For now, here are links to the September 23 Police Advisory Committee Meeting, the October 7 Town Board Meeting and the October 10 Special Meeting.

Thursday, November 6th meeting agenda

Staff at the Town Hall is understandably busy with Election Day, so I am posting this week's Town Board meeting agenda on my site.

Town Board meeting changed to Thursday, November 6th

The Town Board meeting has been changed to Thursday, November 6th, due to Election Day November 4th. I will post the agenda as soon as it becomes available.

Native American Drug and Gang Initiative Project recognized

Many of you know that in addition to being a Supervisor and owning a construction company, I am also a Deputy for Menominee County Sheriff''s Department. Menominee County is the only place in the state where the entire county is designated as an Indian Reservation. This past year, I've worked with the Sheriff's Department on the Native American Drug and Gang Initiative (NADGI) Project.

NADGI is a partnership between eight tribes and the State Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) The Project allows local departments to work as a team with state and federal law enforcement agencies to combat drug, gun, and gang crimes on Wisconsin’s Native American Reservations.

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of accepting a certificate of recogition at a presentation in Meonominee County from Congressman Steve Kagen. The NADGI project was funded this past year by a $400,000 federal grant that was supported by Congressman Kagen. This important grant provides officer training and other resources, and has been instrumental in successfully removing drugs from reservation communities.

The Shawano Leader featured the NADGI project in an article yesterday.

Behind the 2009 Budget

This series of posts over the next few days will examine spending in the 2009 Grand Chute budget

I've had a few emails regarding the $15,000 in professional fees "for professional assistance to assist the new town administrator in negotiations with the town's bargaining units."

This line item jumped out as a red flag when I first reviewed the budget, and I questioned the reasoning at the budget workshops.

What this article doesn’t explain is that all three unions (police, fire, and public works) are up for contract negotiations next year. With the state of the economy, it is reasonable to assume the town will want to limit concessions at the collective bargaining table. If the union and town refuse to come to an agreement, both parties must go to arbitration. The town is responsible for legal costs associated with arbitration, including retaining a judge.

This $15K is set aside in a contingency fund, and is only to cover such costs in the event of arbitration.

Realizing "professional assistance" did not mean hiring a consultant to show the new administrator "the ropes", but rather paying legal costs associated with arbitration, I agreed to the contingency fund.

2009 Budget kept under spending cap

The Town Board voted last night to pass Grand Chute's 2009 budget and limit the increase to 9.8%. This is under the 10.5% limit residents passed in last April's referendum. More budget details to follow.

Avoid lines on Election Day by voting early

Grand Chute residents can vote by absentee ballot at the Town Hall. In order to obtain an absentee ballot, you must be a registered voter in the Town of Grand Chute. You must make an application for a ballot. An application form (PDF file) is available here. The requesting individual must sign the application/letter. If husband and wife are requesting, both must sign the application/letter. If you come into the Town Hall your balloting can be completed that same day.

If you are not a registered voter in Grand Chute, you can register to vote at the Town Hall. You can bring:

1. A Wisconsin driver’s license if you have one, OR (if you do not) the last four digits of your Social Security number --AND--
2. Proof of residence SUCH AS a Wisconsin driver’s license, a state issued ID card, a residential lease, a utility bill, cell phone bill, bank statement (online print outs ok), paycheck, government check, property tax bill from 2007 or 2008, or other government document showing your name and current address.
3. No proof of residence? You can still register and vote if you bring an eligible voter from your municipality who shows proof of residence and affirms you live at your address.

The Grand Chute Town Hall is open 8-4:30, Monday thru Friday.

Upcoming meetings this week

Postings have been a little sparse the last couple of weeks. It's budget time of year. I take this part of my job very seriously, and and a lot of my free time is spent reviewing the proposed budgets. Our first budget planning workshop was last Wednesday. Because of the current state of the economy, each line item is being reviewed, and the budget meeting has been extended to this Wednesday at 6:00 pm, at the town hall.

A Police Merger Advisory Panel meeting is also scheduled for tomorrow evening, 6:30 pm in the Town Hall Board Room. The agenda follows:

Town of Grand Chute
1900 Grand Chute Blvd.
Appleton – Grand Chute Police Merger
Citizen Study Committee Meeting
October 28, 2008
6:30 PM – Board Room

Agenda

A. CALL TO ORDER

B. APPROVAL OF AGENDA/ORDER OF THE DAY

C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Approval of the September 23, 2008 meeting minutes

D. NEW BUSINESS
1. Police Merger Proposal Presentation by Appleton Police Chief David Walsh
2. Police Management Plan and Service Level Comparison Presentation by Interim Chief Greg Peterson
3. Presentation on Police Costs and Asset Distribution by Consultant Ed Henschel

E. Discuss Differences and Similarities Between the Appleton and Grand Chute Police Departments

F. Other matters, questions, discussions.

G. ADJOURNMENT

Jim March named new Town Administrator

October 21, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT: Stephen T. Nenonen
Interim Town Administrator
(920) 832-4773



New Town Administrator Hired:

The Town of Grand Chute announced the appointment of Mr. James V. March as the new Town of Grand Chute Administrator. Mr. March is currently City Administrator in the City of North Oaks, MN. Mr. March will begin employment on December 8, 2008 with an annual salary of $94,472.

There were more than 30 applicants for the position of Town Administrator. The position of Administrator opened last July when Mr. Mark Rohloff accepted the position as City Manager in the City of Oshkosh.

Mr. March is married and has two children. He will be visiting the Town before starting work to look for housing and to prepare for the move to Grand Chute.

For More information, contact Steve Nenonen, Interim Administrator (920) 832-4773.


* * * END * * *

Scenes from Romp in the Swamp 2008

Members of the Grand Chute Kiwanis pal around with Smokey Bear.

Families gather at one of the Romp in the Swamp stations.

The sun peeked out for the 15th Annual Romp in the Swamp held Saturday at Bubolz Nature Preserve. Many families attended the event. Local groups gave educational presentations, ranging from honey bees, herbal growth, and environmental awareness. The Grand Chute Fire Department was on hand, along with Smokey Bear. Free food and games were offered at stations along the walk. There were cookies, hot cider, breads, smores, carmel apples and more. The Grand Chute Kiwanis sponsored a "walking taco" station.

How to make a walking taco:
(with a digital camera on the wrong setting)

Crunch a bag of Fritos or Doritos, then cut the long end off.

Scoop some warm taco meat inside.

Add your favorite fixings.

Eat with spoon and enjoy.

Hwy A and JJ opens today

Hwys JJ and Hwy A are scheduled to open up this afternoon. The intersection has a new roundabout in place of stop and go lights. The road reconstruction also includes sewer and water lines.

Romp in the Swamp

The 15th Annual Romp in the Swamp is this Saturday, October 18th, at the Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm. There will be an afternoon of treats, activities, foot stomping music by Green Apple Folk Music Society, Grand Chute Fire Dept. truck & firefighters also demonstrations by Wildland Firefighters from FVTC. A day filled with good old outdoor family fun.

Hwy A looks like it's just about finished. If it's not completed by this weekend, the road will still be open to the Preserve.

Scenes from the Fire Station Open House and Dedication

Fire Explorers raising the flag that Congressmen Kagen
presented to the fire station. The flag has previously flown over the US Capitol building.

The crowd looks on as the flag is raised to the National Anthem.Grand Chute Fire Chief Timothy Bantes addressed the crowd during the dedication.

Members of the fire department and the Town Board lined up for the "hose ceremony."

Instead of the traditional ribbon cutting, a fire hose is used instead.
(No fire hoses were harmed during this ceremony)

A plaque was also unvield that will be hung at the fire station.The fire station was open to the public for tours all day. This shot is from the mezzanie looking down into the bay area where the trucks come through.

Freddie also made an appearance. He is the new educational resource that is used in schools and presentations to make children aware of fire safety.

Children also had a lot of fun turning on friendly-sized hoses.

The new fire station will be staffed 24-7. This is a shot of one of the sleeping quarters rooms.

The firefighter cooks will have a great time preparing food in this kitchen.This is the dining area off the kitchen. The chair in the bottom left corner is part of the TV room.

The excercise room. Firefighters are required to devote a segment each day to exercise.

A message about eco-municipalities from Leslie Taylor

What is an Eco-municipality?

You may begin hearing this term soon as our Town Board and Planning Commission look into the future and meet some of the challenges that are on the horizon for all municipalities. Many local governments across Wisconsin have already adopted the eco-municipality guide laid out in The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices by Sarah James and Torbjorn Lahti. This book explains why sustainable practices are necessary from an economic standpoint and gives many examples of residents, businesses and municipal managers improving their communities and their environment at the same time.

The Natural Step for Communities explains what an eco-municipality does to continually improve conditions for living in the community. Eco-municipalities, by definition, are committed to the four basic principles of The Natural Step, which was actually first described by a medical doctor. These are the basic things that must be continually done by any community to assure that future generations will be able to meet their own needs:

• Reduce our wasteful dependence on fossil fuels and other substances extracted from underground.
• Reduce our wasteful dependence on toxic and unnatural substances that accumulate in our environment
• Reduce our encroachment on nature and natural habitats
• Meet basic human needs fairly and efficiently.

The authors of The Natural Step for Communities lay out a process that every community can use to begin moving toward a healthier future. Here’s a good relevant example:

In order to remain viable, communities have to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and other substances extracted from underground. With gas and oil prices projected to stay very high, actions that reduce our wasteful use of fossil fuels will also cut our future costs very quickly. One of the easiest things we can do to begin making our operations more sustainable is an assessment of all our energy use to find out where the most cost-efficient reductions can be made. The Natural Step process is used over and over to keep us moving toward our vision of a sustainable community.

The best way to learn more about eco-municipalities and sustainable practices is to be in a local study circle of The Natural Step for Communities. The book is available from most libraries and bookstores. On November 12th, 7:00 p.m. at the Appleton Public Library, there will be an orientation session for anyone interested in taking part in a study circle. For more information please contact Leslie Taylor at 920-739-7307 or ltaylor@sustainfv.org. We may be able to have our own Grand Chute study circles meet at the Town Hall or at Bubolz Nature Preserve!

September 16th Town Board meeting minutes

Minutes from the September 16th Town Board meeting are available for download.

Mayflower drive road closure

Mayflower Drive, north of Wisconsin Ave. at the intersection, will be closed until approximately October 24th, for a DOT street reconstruction project.

The ripple effect

You might have read in last week's Post Crescent about 13 year old Kevin Hash convincing the Appleton City Council to expand trick or treat hours til 8pm. Well, Kevin's efforts are spilling into Grand Chute as well. The Town Board will vote at Tuesday's meeting whether Grand Chute's hours will begin at 4pm and end at 8pm as well, to coincide with Appleton. Way to go Kevin!

October 7th Town Board meeting agenda

The agenda for the October 7, 2008 Town Board meeting is available for download.

New fire station officially completed

Keys are being turned over to the Fire Department today for the new Fire Station located at 2250 Grand Chute Blvd. The dedication ceremony will take place Saturday, October 11 at 1pm. Please refer to the press release for more details.

August 25th Police Advisory Panel Minutes

Minutes from the August 25th Police Merger Advisory meeting are available for download. As a reminder, minutes will be posted after being approved at the following meeting. Minutes from the September 23rd meeting will be posted after the October 28th meeting. I will have a brief summary of the last meeting online early next week.

Agenda for September 23rd Police Advisory Committee meeting

The next Grand Chute Police Advisory Committee meeting is tomorrow evening at 6:30pm. The meeting will be in the Town Board room at the Town Hall. The agenda for tomorrow's meeting is as follows:

Appleton – Grand Chute Police Merger
Citizen Study Committee Meeting
September 23, 2008
6:30 P.M.

Agenda

A. CALL TO ORDER

B. APPROVAL OF AGENDA/ORDER OF THE DAY

C. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES – Approval of the August 26, 2008 meeting minutes

D. NEW BUSINESS
1. Present and discuss initial data collection summary. This will be baseline information to be used for future discussion by the Committee.
a. Historical growth and growth projections
b. Historical call volume and call type
c. Current police services and policing philosophy (i.e. crime prevention education, accident response, DARE, Neighborhood Watch, bike rodeos, retail theft, MEG, community intervention, prevention education, etc.)
d. Current staffing and scheduling
e. Current organizational and management structure
f. Current police costs compared

2. Compare differences and similarities in police activity between the current Appleton and Grand Chute Police Departments based on population, equalized value, density, call volume, call type and services provided.

3. Identify union contract issues.

4. Other matters, questions, discussions.

E. ADJOURNMENT

September 2nd Town Board meeting minutes

Meeting minutes from the September 2nd, 2008 Town Board meeting are available for download.

Scenes from Parks Day 2008

While this year's Grand Chute Parks Day turned out to be a little drizzly, it was still a lot of fun and raised money for a great cause. The car show attendance was down a bit, due to the inclement weather. However, the raffles, craft show, and food tent all generated plenty of people. Proceeds from Park's Day go toward enhancing the town's parks. An example is the generous donation toward the handicap accessible playground equipment at Lion's Park.
Here are a couple snapshots from Park Day 2008.

Meeting notice

Tonight's Citizen's for Democracy in Grand Chute meeting at the Legacy Supper Club has been posted as a town board notice. Attendance by more than two supervisors may be present, prompting a meeting notice. No town board action will be taken. Residents will have a forum to voice their opinions directly to Town Supervisors regarding the proposed police merger. The meeting starts at 6pm. The Legacy Supper Club is located off Hwy 47, one block north of Hwy JJ.

Behind the Vote: Casaloma West urbanization project- Part Two

The following is a compilation of the most frequently asked questions I've received from Casaloma West residents.

When will the road reconstruction begin?
The project will not begin until next spring. However, the town is soliciting bids this fall to lock in competitive rates for spring.

How will residents be assessed?
There are two different scenarios that will be brought before the board. The first is that each homeowner will be assessed the same amount. The other is assessments based on lot frontage. The town board has not voted as of yet.

Will the road be concrete or asphalt?
The curb and gutter will be concrete. The center road will be asphalt.

Will this take care of drainage issues?
Absolutely. The storm sewer will run underground and carry rain water all the way to the creek on the east side of the subdivision.

What if I have more questions?
Feel free to email or call my home phone number. There will be an information meeting for Casaloma West residents as well. The town will send out notification when the meeting is scheduled.

July 15th and August 5th Town Board meeting minutes

The July 15th and August 5th Town Board meeting minutes are now available for download.

Behind the Vote: Casaloma West urbanization project- Part One

The Grand Chute Town Board, based upon recommendation from the town's Department of Public works, has voted to move forward with full urbanization of the Casaloma West Subdivision. This includes repaving roadways, installing storm sewer and providing curb and gutter. The Post Crescent covered this decision in an article printed after the town board meeting. The situation in this town area is really more involved than has been reported in the media. The following is a detailed account of the process whereby I came to a determination in favor of full urbanization.

The Casaloma West area is located on the west side of Grand Chute and encompasses around 100 residential homes. Streets include Goldenrod, Wildflower, Casaloma and others. This area, built in the early 80s, has its share of problems with poor drainage of rain water. Several resident's sump pumps have overflowed, resulting in flooded basements. The drainage problem has been so bad, some residence have threatened to sue the town. Currently, almost 20% of service calls and repair calls to our public works department are directly related to the Casaloma West area.

The town has looked into replacing this road for about three years. The current road has deteriorated so significantly, that it cannot simply be ground up and resurfaced. The aggregate mix commonly used in the 80s underneath roadways needs to be replaced with a stronger aggregate mix as well.

Earlier this year, I made a successful motion directing the public works department to evaluate all possible options for this road repair. Engineering professionals cored the roads and examined different scenarios. They were to report back with findings and a detailed report with recommendations to the Town Board. In the report, the town engineer explained the need to reconstruct aggregate under the road and keep repair of heaving culverts to a minimum.

There were four scenarios the town engineer presented to the Town Board:

The first scenario was a simple resurfacing of the road. This would cost about $3600 per household. Unfortunately, this is a band-aid solution and would only last one to two years. The deteriorating aggregate (underneath) part of the roadway would not sustain resurfacing. The frost would also continue to heave culverts, and simple resurfacing would do nothing to solve drainage issues or eliminate standing water. This could not be considered an option due to lack of road stability and no resolution of standing water.

The next option focused on repairing the road and solving drainage and standing water issues by lowering existing ditches. This option was estimated at $6,110. Ditches would be lowered four to five additional feet in some areas in order to correctly pitch drainage. Roadways would still be torn up to reset new aggregate and repair culverts. Road life expectancy would be 10-12 years. However, the public works department would continue having the burden of cleaning and maintaining ditches. This includes unthawing ice dams in culverts during winter months to allow proper flowing. Steep ditches were also viewed as a serious deterrent for safe lawn care and parked vehicles.

Because of the above drainage vs. ditch issues, the public works department ultimately recommended replacing ditches with storm sewer. The proposed storm sewer would allow sump water and the standing water to be sent directly down the creek via PVC pipe. Installation of storm sewer and reconstruction of the road way was estimated at $8,000 per household. Life expectancy of the roadway with gravel shoulders would remain at 10-12 years, or increase only slightly.

The final option was to include curb and gutter with the storm water system and reconstructed road. This option was estimated at $8800 per household. Curb and gutter increases life expectancy of the road to 20-25 years. Curb and gutters eliminate damage from vehicles parked on gravel shoulders that tear edges, creating spider cracks. These cracks eventually widen when water enters and seeps into the aggregate. The final benefit to curb and gutter is that when roadways do need repair, the surface can be skimmed and a new level of asphalt laid at a fraction of the cost. Adding curb and gutter for an additional $800 was seen as maximizing production of roadways for a minimal dollar amount. Both by preventing a second (probably even more expensive) assessment after a 10-12 year period, and cost effectively solving drainage issues.

In conclusion, based upon recommendation by Tom Marquardt, Director of Public Works, the Town Board agreed the best solution to maximize the expectancy of roads and eliminate or reduce future work orders was by full urbanization of Casaloma West.

Coming up: Q & A on Casaloma West Urbanization (I've been answering a lot of them...send me your specific topic), Report on Urbanization Workshop

August 19th Town Board meeting minutes

Minutes from the August 19th Town Board meeting are available for download.

Behind the Vote: Casaloma West urbanization project

Coming soon: An indepth look at the Casaloma West urbanization project. There is an item on this evening's agenda concerning this roadwork.

Following the path toward an eco Grand Chute

I just got back from this morning's meeting with Director of Community Development, Allen Davis and key proponents of municipal sustainability. Actually, I sat out of the main meeting, as Chairman Marsden and Supervisor Pluess also attended. Since there wasn't a public meeting notice posted on the town's web site, the three of us would have constituted a illegal quorum. Supervisor Pluess graciously offered to return home, but I encouraged him to stay. Being an advocate of green building and attending conferences both for building and sustainability, I've had many hours of research on the topic. I felt it was important for Sup. Pluess to listen to the experts and get excited about this opportunity. I was able to catch up with Allen Davis afterward.

The meeting went very well, and sustainability leaders presented a strong concept. They will be working with Allen Davis to formulate a 10-minute presentation at the October 7th Plan Commission meeting at 6pm. The Plan Commission can give their recommendation on whether to proceed further. The Town Board theoretically could take a vote based upon the Plan Commission's recommendation at that night's Board meeting, if the subject is placed on the agenda. A starting point could be the formation of an ad hoc committee involving Grand Chute residents as well.

September 2nd Town Board meeting agenda

The agendas for tonight's board meetings are available for download.

Update on first Grand Chute citizen's advisory police merger panel meeting

The following post is an update on the first Citizen Advisory police merger panel meeting. At Tuesday's meeting, my suggestion to communicate what transpires to the public through press releases was not very well received. It was decided residents could keep updated through meeting minutes. Unfortunately, meeting minutes will not be posted on the town's web site until they are approved at the following meeting. The next meeting will be September 23rd. Therefore, I am providing this update to Grand Chute residents.

The Grand Chute citizen's advisory police merger panel met this past Tuesday. It was the first time the panel had met. James Milslagle, member of the panel, was selected as Chair, with Tom Dreier elected as Secretary. A representative from Virchow Krause was present as they have been hired as a consultant to oversee progress and provide direction to the panel. I was initially concerned when Edmund Henschel, the representative from Virchow Krause, told the panel he had been directed by the Town Board to lay out a six month time table for the study. His directive was to split the phases into two three month segments. I informed Mr. Henschel, the Town Board had not set forth any time table; Chairman Marsden later indicated this was a directive from himself.

I asked Mr. Henschel, in his 27 years of experience, if he had encountered mergers that were put together in less than six months. My police merger investigations indicated a much longer time period, some taking 2-5 years. Mr. Henschel agreed six months was an extremely short time frame.

Since the purpose of the panel is to ensure a thorough investigation into the pros and cons of a police merger, the panel agreed to leave the time table open at this point, and not restrict itself to a six month period. The panel also agreed monthly meetings may be too far apart, and may consider bi-weekly meetings at the next session.

Our next meeting is scheduled for September 23rd. Interim Chief Peterson will be gathering information, including statistics that were requested in the original RFP, including calls for service, scheduling, and a planned budget. Panel members will receive this information for review and at the next meeting will forward our questions to Interim Chief Peterson.

I will be happy to have Interim Chief Peterson answer any citizen questions as well. Please email or comment with any concerns. I fought for this panel to be formed to ensure taxpayers are at the forefront of the decision making process. This is your opportunity to become involved.

Exploring sustainability in Grand Chute

The Grand Chute Town Board agreed at the August 19th meeting to direct staff to investigate requirements for becoming an eco-municipality. Community Director of Development, Allen Davis, is busy researching the direction it takes to become a sustainable town and will report back to the Town Board. Also, next week, he and I are meeting with leading advocates in the Fox Valley for sustainable practices. We'll discuss what practices could be easily adopted by the town and receive the quickest benefit.

One of the people we'll be speaking with is Leslie Taylor. She has helped coordinate sustainability workshops in the Fox Valley, and arraigned for the authors of the book The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices at the FOTH conference this past June.

The following is an announcement Ms. Taylor sent regarding the formation of community book study circles:

"The Natural Step for Communities" Study Circles Forming

Are you interested in helping to build community understanding and knowledge about sustainability?

Individuals and groups in communities all over Wisconsin are reading The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices. This book is commonly used for group study circles to deepen people's understanding about sustainable communities and the decision-making process that leads to them.

Torbjorn Lahti (co-author of the book and founder of the eco-municipality movement) has been quoted saying, "Perhaps the most important factor to why we were successful in becoming an eco-municipality were study circles…It's a question of people taking control over their own situation and their own future."

Many people who have participated in a study circle have felt more informed, empowered, and encouraged to create positive change in their own community.

If you are interested in being part of a study circle, please contact:

Ø Leslie Taylor at ltaylor@sustainfv.org (920-739-7307), or

Ø Catherine Neiswender at catherine.neiswender@ces.uwex.edu (920-232-1972).

We will do our best to coordinate groups at times and places that work for the greatest possible participation. If you are part of an existing group that's interested in learning about The Natural Step for Communities, let us know.

The Appleton Public Library has several copies of the book in circulation, or you can purchase your own copy. Conkey's bookstore in Appleton and Amazon.com have been good sources.

Study circles work best when done over an 8-week period, but we can condense them into 4-week timeframes if that's all you have time for!

We have planned 3 one-hour orientation sessions to get people the information they need to get started. You only need to attend one of these sessions - after the orientation we will connect you with a group and a leader, meeting at a yet-to-be-determined time and place.

Here are the orientation sessions:

September 10, 7 – 8 p.m., Appleton Public Library lower level meeting room

September 17, 7 – 8 p.m., Menasha Public Library lower level meeting room

November 12, 7 – 8 p.m., Appleton Public Library lower level meeting room

Please respond to this message with a note indicating which days of the week, time of day, and location will be best for you to participate in a circle.

We will organize the circles to begin shortly after the orientation sessions.

If you are interested, but unable to attend any of the above orientation sessions, let us know that, too. We'll do our best to plan something that will work for you!

Also, please forward this message to any friends, neighbors, co-workers, or business associates who may be interested in learning about building a sustainable future for the Fox Valley area.

April Aire assistance Summary and Final Report

The following is a communication I received from Curt Detjen, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, regarding the April Aire Mobile Home Park. The Community Foundation worked with the April Aire Task Force, helping displaced residents when the mobile home park shut down. This was accomplished with donations to the Fox Valley Emergency Assistance Fund within the community foundation. Other agencies and business throughout the Fox Valley Region donated their time or services as well. This is the final report for assistance through the Community Foundation.

April Aire Mobile Home Park
Assistance Summary and Final Report

Total families assisted: 26
Total individuals assisted: 79

Type of assistance:
Move trailer to new location: 9
Assistance with rent: 16
Assistance with home purchase: 1

February, 2008 $2,186.46 (5 families)
March, 2008 $300.00 (2 families)
April, 2008 $600.00 (2 families)
May, 2008 $600.00 (2 families)
June, 2008 $5,123.00 (5 families)
July, 2008 $15,235.81 (10 families)

Total: $24,045.27

Contributions from the community: $12,334.33 (23 contributions of $10-$5,000)
Remaining funding: $11,710.94 anonymous donors will provide for this

Sample demonstration of need:

S. is a single man whose 31-year-old estranged wife passed away in December of 2007. He moved into her mobile home at April Aire to care for his two young children and his stepson. With assistance, S. was able to secure a three-bedroom duplex to raise his family as a single father.

C. is a 64-year-old military veteran who has worked for the same employer for 22 years. He has lived alone in a mobile home at April Aire for sixteen years. With assistance, he was able to secure safe housing in a new location.

R., T, and their two young children lived in one of the older homes in April Aire. During the cold spell this winter, the pipes froze, causing sewage to overflow into the home. The condition of the home was described by the receiver as “horrible.” The family was able to relocate to a new apartment.

J. is a single woman who has lived at April Aire for 17 years. She lived alone after inheriting the mobile home from her parents. She was distraught over the thought of losing her home, but with financial assistance, was able to transport her home to a new mobile home park.

D, her husband, and young daughter lived in a mobile home at April Aire which was located right next door to her disabled mother, P. The living arrangement was mutually beneficial—P. was able to provide day care to her granddaughter while D. was able to assist P., who is confined to a wheelchair. With assistance for a first month’s mortgage, the families were able to purchase a duplex.

Chairman says no to public participation

I mentioned in the August 10th post that the public would be able to participate in the Citizen's Advisory Panel Meetings. This assumption was based upon the format of the Communications Committee meetings that were held last fall. The public could attend the committee meetings and ask questions, or would be asked for input on certain matters. I assumed this would be the case as well.

Yesterday, the Chairman informed me he absolutely does not want any public participation at these police merger panel meetings. While the public can attend meetings, they will not be able to speak. I am posting this information as I had stated otherwise in an earlier entry. As an advocate for open government, I still encourage the public to attend these meetings and welcome any input via phone calls or emails.

Hwy A and JJ opening delayed

The construction of the roundabout at Cty Hwy JJ and A is taking longer than expected. The intersection, originally scheduled for completion in early September, will remain closed until early October, according to Outagamie County Highway Commissioner Al Guerts. The delay is caused by unexpected bedrock found throughout the soil. . Blasting is needed in order to install new sewer lines on Hwy A, slowing the entire project down.

August 19th Town Board Agenda

The agenda for tomorrow's Town Board meeting is available for download. It looks like this will be a short meeting.

Update: There is an amended item on the agenda under New Business. The Board will vote whether to direct staff to investigate Grand Chute becoming an ecomunicipality. This is a direct result of myself and Community Development Director Alan Davis attending the FOTH conference for sustainability in June.

Tire Disposal week

Free tire disposal week is set for September 15-19. This program is for residential use only. Tires must be no larger than 17” (rims are acceptable), limit of four (4) tires per household.

Call the town hall at 832-4771 or email Sally.Leopold@grandchute.net by Friday, September 12, 2008 to be placed on the list for pickup. The town will need your address, phone number and the number of tires for pickup. Tires must be at the end of the driveway by 7:00 am on Monday, September 15th. Collection will only take place during this week by the Department of Public Works employees.

Wisconsin guitar prodigy censored

Regular readers of my blog may remember a posting earlier in the summer about my visit to Steel Bridge Songfest 08 in Sturgeon Bay. I mentioned seeing 8 year-old blues prodigy Tallan "T-man" Latz play on stage with Jackson Browne.

Looks like he's gaining national attention. You may not be able to see him perform in clubs, except on youtube, but he'll still be rocking at festivals around Wisconsin.

First Citizen's Police Advisory Panel meeting to be held

The first Citizen's Advisory Panel will be held Tuesday, August 26th at 6pm in the Community Room at the Grand Chute Town Hall. These committee meetings are different than regular town board meetings in that the public is able to join in on discussion throughout the meeting.

The Citizen's Advisory Panel was formed to evaluate the proposed consolidation of the Grand Chute Police Department with the City of Appleton Police Department and file a report with the Town Board.

The first meeting will be organizational in nature. I will post notice of future meetings throughout the process.

Grand Chute stays at AA3 credit rating

At Tuesday night's meeting, the town of Grand Chute was informed the town's rating for credit purposes remained at AA3.

What does this mean?
According to Moody's Bond rating:

"Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as "gilt edged." Interest payments are protected by a large or an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues. "

This is one of the highest ratings a municipality can achieve. This rating directly affects the bargaining power a town has for its interest rates, both borrowing and the return on the bonded monies we currently have in reserve. This rating is an indication to lending institutions as to how financially secure municipalities are.

In the words of Schenck and Associates, the town is doing very well. Its nice to see that in these financially trying times, our town is remaining financially strong. I am committed to continuing this trend.

If you are interested in seeing the detailed report, it is available for review at the town hall.

National Night Out 2008 is tonight

Grand Chute is participating in National Night Out this evening. The event will be 6-8pm at Carterwoods Park. This year's theme is 25^th Annual National Night Out. According to Staff Sargeant Todd Zolkowski, The Grand Chute Police Department will be on hand along with McGruff the Crime Dog, Grand Chute Citizen's Police Academy and other local organizations. National Night Out events promote neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships in our fight for safer communities.

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT is designed to:

• Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
• Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;
• Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
• Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

Last year's National Night Out campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 10,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. In all, over 35 million people participated in National Night Out 2007.

Hope to see you there!

August 6, 2008 Town Board agenda

The agenda for tonight's Town Board meeting is available for download.

Police merger Q&A

I've been fielding a lot of questions about the status of the potential police merger and the advisory referendum. I think I Q & A format would be the best way to address these questions.

You made a motion to put an advisory referendum on the ballot.Why didn't you push to ensure it stayed on the November ballot, as you originally requested?
It would be difficult right now to say with certainty that all the facts will be in by November and that the public will be able to make an informed decision. Whether you agree or disagree with the idea of a merger, I think at this stage, it is important to have all the facts, figures and budget in place. This is something that has not yet been provided to board members or the public.

Was the possible referendum delay a ploy to ensure a lower voter turnout in a spring election?
I believe whether it's held in April or November, it's important that the people who vote make an educated decision. I think the burden should be made by the Board and the panel to provide the information to the public so they can make an educated decision. At this point, I do not know if that information can be guaranteed available by the November election.

How was the committee selected?
The committee members were selected by the town chairman and approved by the Town Supervisors at a recent Board meeting. See the next question for more detailed answer. Questioning the selection process would have delayed the already much needed committee.

What do you think of the make up of the advisory panel, is it stacked with pro merger or anti merger members?
I don't feel the panel is stacked. It's possible each individual may have a bias one way or another, but the purpose of the committee is to be a voice of the community, review the information presented by the interim chief and formulate questions that otherwise may not have been asked. All members of the panel are highly qualified to carry out these tasks.

Who are the members of the panel?

• John Burgland, general |manager of the Fox River Mall.
• Tom Dreier, secretary of the Grand Chute Police and Fire Commission.
• Ken Johnston, chairman of the former Town Board |compensation panel.
• James Milslagle, businessman, Fox Valley Technical College Foundation vice president.
• Ron Tank, former member of town zoning Board of Appeals.
• Supv. Jeff Nooyen, who voted for merger with Appleton |department.
• Supv. Travis Thyssen, who voted against Appleton merger plan.

Why are there no women on the panel?
I guess it's unclear why the Chairman did not include a woman to be on the panel. We receive the Chairman's five recommendations in our Friday report before the Tuesday board meeting. I did not see a full list of people who had asked to be on the panel until I requested it after seeing the item on the agenda. I received the list the Monday evening before the Tuesday board meeting. There were several women that were on the pool of candidates, including a Grand Chute business owner. There were no discussions held as to who would be on the committee.

What is the status of the advisory panel?
Before the Chairman left for Canada, no chair was appointed for the panel. I have several questions that need to be answered about the chair and the Consulting firm (I have not received info on recommendations) before meetings can get rolling.

I keep hearing this is a done deal and the merger will completed in six months.
I think its important for the committee to have the first meeting and form milestones and an outline of questions that need to be answered. From that we can establish a timeline that we can give to the public. This is something I feel strongly should have been done from the beginning, but I am happy the advisory panel has been formed so we can ensure these steps are put in place.