Editor’s note: The following announcement was posted to the city Facebook page. For your information, the city’s policy for the size/type of brush that may be picked up is as follows: Brush must be between 3/4″ and 6” in diameter. The brush must be a minimum of 3′ in length. Vines, rakings, roots, and root balls will not be accepted. Property owners can dispose of vines, rakings, roots, and root balls at the compost site. The City reserves the right to not collect brush for just cause.” The compost site is open on Wednesday from 3-7 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Post Storm Brush Clean up

Due to the recent storm, the Public Works Department will continuously pick up brush this entire week. Please be patient as the Department works to facilitate this.

Additionally, thank you to the city staff who has worked over the weekend and continues to work on keeping our community safe!

Editor’s note: The photo on the homepage was taken in Fort Atkinson on July 30 by Lynn Binnie.

Editor’s note: The following announcement was provided by the City of Whitewater.

Starting July 31, 2023, Indian Mound Parkway south of Walworth Avenue [commonly nicknamed “The Bridge to Nowhere”] will be closed to all traffic for approximately three weeks. Construction is scheduled to start on the Southwest water main project connecting the dead-end water main at the water tower to a dead-end water main by the railroad tracks. Due to the amount of expected construction traffic using Indian Mound Parkway, the street will be closed to all traffic, including pedestrians.

Editor’s note: According to the city’s Capital Improvement Program, this project will install approximately 2600 feet of watermain from Well #9 and the new water tower east to an existing water main that is stubbed in under the railroad tracks from Hwy 59. Well #9 feeds water to the distribution system via one pipe along Indian Mound Parkway. If that main would need to be shut down, water could not be introduced to the system from well #9 nor from the new water tower. The city now has only one other functioning water tower, and it is important for the new tower to have dual service to the distribution system.

The image on the homepage is from the Discover Whitewater Facebook page.

Sheriff Fell is pleased to announce that the Rock County Sheriff’s Office will offer two Hunter Safety Education Courses this fall at the Edgerton Conservation Club, 900 Stoughton Road, Edgerton, WI 53534. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1973, is required to complete a Hunter Safety Education Course to legally hunt in Wisconsin. It is recommended that participants be at least 12 years of age or turn 12 shortly following completion of the class.

Hunter Safety Education Courses:

Class #1

Mandatory Registration: August 9, at 6 p.m. @ Edgerton Conservation Club
Class: August 26, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. & August 27, from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. @ Edgerton Conservation Club

Class #2

Mandatory Registration: September 5, at 6 p.m. @ Edgerton Conservation Club
Class: September 23, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. & September 24, from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.@ Edgerton Conservation Club

Online enrollment is now open for Class #1. Complete the online enrollment form to reserve a seat. Class size is limited to thirty (30) students. Upon submission of the online enrollment form, the submitter will see an onscreen confirmation message with information on the mandatory in- person registration meeting. Online enrollment for Class #2 will open after Class #1.

Enroll At: https://www.co.rock.wi.us/departments/sheriff-s-office/recreational-patrol/hunter-education
A class fee of $10 per student will be collected at the in-person registration meeting. The student, and a parent or legal guardian if the student is underage, must attend the mandatory registration meeting for the student to take the course. Students will receive course materials at the in-person registration meeting.

Please direct any questions to Deputy Trevor Lund at trevor.lund@co.rock.wi.us.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

According to the WE Energies website as of Saturday, July 29 at 11:00 p.m., percentage wise, the city of Whitewater is faring much better than many municipalities in getting its power restored from Friday night’s vicious storm. Early on Saturday morning it was reported that 1995 customers were without power in Whitewater. As of this writing only 246 customers are reported to be without power. This, of course, does not diminish the discomfort and loss of perishable food that these residents may be enduring. By contrast, Fort Atkinson started the day with 5252 customers in the dark. That number actually climbed at some points during the day and remains at 4505.

Shown below are the reported outages in a number of nearby communities. WE indicates that they anticipate that 95% of their customers will have power restored by Sunday night. They state, “All available We Energies crews, including specialized forestry workers and extra contract crews, will continue to work around the clock to make repairs and restore power to customers affected by these severe storms.”

City of Whitewater Common Council – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda includes update on businesses operating without a Conditional Use Permit, campaign planning study for Aquatic & Fitness Center, discussion re: library expansion, discussion regarding city manager evaluation policy, discussion re: water credits practices, discussion and possible action on lakes dredging bid, closed session (followed by possible discussion in open session) re: MOU/MSP with UWW and Aldi development agreement.
City of Whitewater Municipal Building – Community Room
312 West Whitewater St.
This will be an IN PERSON and a VIRTUAL MEETING
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83198282604?pwd=cDdLWjUvTTRqRUQ4UVcwQWcrcW1BUT09
Or dial
1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 831 9828 2604
Passcode: 137945

City of Whitewater Landmarks Commission – Thursday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Effigy Mounds Preserve recent progress and next steps.
In Person and Virtual
Cravath Lake Front Room
312 Whitewater Street, Whitewater, WI 53190
Join Virtually at:
https://meet.goto.com/986513669

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from Walworth County.

The Walworth County Public Works Department has recently received full accreditation from the American Public Works Association (APWA). This prestigious accreditation formally verifies and recognizes that the agency is in full compliance with the recommended management practices set forth in APWA’s Public Works Management Practices Manual. Walworth County Public Works Department is only the second agency and the first county to be accredited in the State of Wisconsin. The other accredited agency in Wisconsin is the City of Janesville.

Open to all governmental agencies with responsibilities for public works functions, initial accreditation from APWA is for a four-year period, during which time semi-annual updates will be required to demonstrate continuing compliance. After that time, there is a re-accreditation process that builds on the original accreditation, encouraging continuous improvement and compliance with newly identified practices.

The purpose of accreditation is to promote excellence in the operation and management of a public works agency, its programs, and its employees. Accreditation is designed to assist the agency in the continuous improvement of operations and management, and in providing a valid and objective evaluation of agency programs as a service to the public and the profession.

“The Department of Public Works has dedicated itself to continuous improvement, excellence, fiscal and personal accountability,” says Richard Hough, Director of Walworth County Public Works. “The credit for this accomplishment belongs to the staff whose mission is to provide services and programs that contribute to making Walworth County a great place to live and work.”

APWA’s accreditation process includes five major steps:
 Self-Assessment: Using the Public Works Management Practices Manual, an internal review of an agency’s practices combined with a comparison of the recommended practices contained in the manual;
 Application: Once the decision has been made to commit to the Accreditation Program, the agency submits a formal application;
 Improvement: After the agency has completed the self-assessment and identified areas needing improvement, the agency will work to bring all practices into an acceptable level of compliance with the recommended practices;
 Evaluation: Following the completion of the improvement phase, the agency will request a site visit. The site visit will consist of a review and evaluation of the agency to determine the level of compliance with all applicable practices;
 Accreditation: The Accreditation Council will review the site visit results and recommendations from the team, voting to award or deny accreditation.

About APWA
The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net) is a not-for-profit, international organization with more than 33,000 members involved in the field of public works. APWA serves its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through education, advocacy, and the exchange of knowledge. APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, MO, has an office in Washington, DC, and 63 chapters in North America.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

A major windstorm that hit the city at approximately 11 p.m. on Friday has left 1884 customers in the Walworth county portion of the city without power as of 8:45 a.m., as well as 111 in the Jefferson county portion. That represents 33% of the customers in the dark. Several traffic signals are not functioning and some side streets are closed due to large tree branches down.

Fort Atkinson is in worse shape, with 5252 customers reported without power, representing 82% of their customers.

A city crew was out after midnight with a front loader and chipper clearing branches.