City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission Monday, 4:30 p.m. Includes landscape guidelines review; development of future Starin Park Arboretum More information Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/348491629 You can also dial in using your phone. United States: +1 (571) 317-3122 Access Code: 348-491-629
WUSD School Board Regular Meeting Monday, 7:00 p.m. Includes Jefferson County Health Department: Reopening Jefferson County Schools and Addressing the Spread of COVID-19; 2020-21 Budget hearing and adoption More information (Click on “meetings” in upper right hand corner) via Zoom Online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86143287592?pwd=NkFwRFFHRjFNTzF4ZDV4OGFhTmN2Zz09 Passcode: 961099 Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799; Meeting ID: 861 4328 7592; Passcode 961099
City of Whitewater Community Involvement & Cable TV Commission Meeting Agenda Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. More information Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/123534789 You can also dial in using your phone. United States: +1 (646) 749-3122 Access Code: 123-534-789
City of Whitewater Community Development Authority Board of Directors Thursday, 5:30 p.m. Includes status of loans; closed session and possible action upon return to open session: discussion of terms of sale by the CDA of Vacant Land (Business Park, Lot 3, CSM #4555). More information Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/444709229 You can also dial in using your phone. (Toll Free): 1 877 309 2073 1 646 749 3129 Access code 444-709-229
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
A primary measure of the spread of COVID-19 in a community is the positivity rate, which is generally calculated as the percentage of people with positive results out of all of the test results that have been reported in the past 7 or 14 days. The Whitewater Unified School District Board has indicated that, based on advice from the Jefferson County epidemiologist, in order for fulltime in-person classes to resume, the blended positivity rate for Jefferson, Rock and Walworth counties should be less than 8% and continue on a downward trajectory for 14 days. Some school districts have used a target of 5%.
As of August 22, the 14-day positivity rate for the Walworth County portion of the city is 12.5%. It is not possible to calculate the rate for the Jefferson County portion, as that is part of a census tract that includes Palmyra. During the past two weeks the rate has fluctuated from 9.45-12.5%.
During the past fourteen days, the results of 216 tests were reported, of which 27 were positive.
Walworth County’s 14-day positivity rate is currently 11.6%. Up until recent days the county’s rate has consistently been lower than the city’s.
Out of those testing positive in Walworth County, 11.4% reported having no symptoms. These people are particularly concerning, as they may unknowingly transmit the virus.
There is a hopeful sign: the city’s positivity rate has significantly declined in the past 7 days. In this period 103 tests were reported, with only 6 positive results, representing a 5.8% positivity rate. Some readers might speculate that there could be a degree of correlation with the governor’s order requiring the use of facial coverings beginning August 1.
Particularly with the return of thousands of students from many parts of the state and country, including some areas which may have greater rates of infection than ours, continued compliance with infection control precautions is essential. Whenever possible avoid spending significant amounts of time, especially indoors, with people outside your household, and remember your mask.
Per a press release by Executive Director Megan Hartwick – The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties is launching their first-ever Virtual Week of Caring to be held September 14th – 20th.
“Our 2020 Campaign is going to be the most unique yet challenging campaign I’ve had to run,” states Megan Hartwick, United Way executive director. “We know there will be folks who’ve supported our organization in the past who won’t be in a position to do so this year, and we also know these past six months have been really hard on our communities. So our United Way wanted to introduce a brand new event focused on spreading caring power around to everyone, while of course keeping everyone as healthy and safe as possible.”
The Virtual Week of Caring will consist of seven different small missions across the seven days of the week, beginning on Monday, September 14th. The missions will be as follows: Join our Mission (Monday), Praise a Community Worker (Tuesday), Thank a Business (Wednesday), Commit to Volunteering (Thursday), Advocate for a Cause (Friday), Lend Your Support (Saturday), and Practice Self-Care (Sunday). There are no set requirements for completing each mission, and there is no sign-up for registration fee for participating.
“We wanted to make participation in this week-long series as easy as possible,” Hartwick states. “We will be offering a lot of suggestions and information that will help people figure out what specific acts of caring will work best for them, but we also want community members to get creative and express themselves during these small missions. Mostly, we want people to remember that small, simple acts of kindness can have a huge ripple affect across communities. And I think we can all agree that our communities need as much caring power and support as possible right now.”
Any community member is able to participate in the Virtual Week of Caring. United Way is encouraging workplaces to join in and use it as a team building exercise, or for parents to engage their children and make it a fun family activity. The acts can be as small or as big as an individual determines, and can be something very quick or tasks that require a longer commitment. The one request from United Way, is that folks share their participation and encourage others to join.
“We want to see all of these amazing acts of caring and we want the participants to share their positive impact with others and encourage them to join in,” Hartwick states. “We have created specific hashtags for the week that we’d ask people to use anytime they post their participation on social media. We’d also love for United Way to be tagged in any postings so we can help share the information. But mostly, we want participants to find any way to share – text your friends, post something up in your break room at work, or email your family members. We want to see this have a grand impact on our communities.”
Full details for the Virtual Week of Caring, including instruction sheets for each individual day, hashtag details, Facebook images and more, can be found on the Virtual Week of Caring page on the United Way’s website – https://uwjnwc.com/events/week-of-caring/ .
“We’ve put together a lot of details and marketing information to make it very easy for people to participate and to promote the week’s tasks,” Hartwick states. “I’ll be sharing my personal participation each day, as well as our board of directors’ involvement, because our United Way is fully committed to spreading caring power throughout our communities. And also because, at United Way, we see one of our main responsibilities as creating connections throughout our communities; connecting individuals to needed help and resources, connecting volunteers to organizations who could benefit from their time, connecting donors to causes and missions they care about, and now connecting the power of kindness and support to those who need it.”
To join in on the week’s events, people are encouraged to visit the United Way website and subscribe to their newsletter and to “like and follow” their Facebook page (@uwjnwc).
“We’re so excited about this brand new way to kick-off our 2020 Campaign,” Hartwick adds. “We’re launching this year’s campaign with a theme of ‘Now More Than Ever’ because we believe our United Way support is needed in our communities now more than ever, and we feel constant acts of caring are also needed, now more than ever.”
Anyone who would like more information on United Way can visit the website at www.uwjnwc.com or contact United Way at 920.563.8880 or unitedway@idcnet.com .
The United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties’ mission is to fight for the health, education and financial stability of every person in our communities. We do that by providing support to community programs, projects and local agencies that provide critical health and human services to those in need. This network of helping services can be described as a “safety net” for those in our midst in need. Whether it is transitional housing, literacy education, after- school programs and education, health and dental care, end of life care, mentoring programs, job training or disaster relief, the United Way identifies the greatest needs in our community and helps to fund agencies that can meet those needs.
For more information about our local United Way, you may visit the website at www.uwjnwc.com or “like” the Facebook page at “United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties.” For details regarding the United Way’s online volunteer tool, please visit www.volunteermain.com .
WHITEWATER– August 19, 2020 (Discover Whitewater press release) – The Discover Whitewater Series (DWS): Half Marathon and 5K is more than just a race; it is a way to impact and give back to the Whitewater community.
The generosity from sponsors creates opportunities for Whitewater’s schools, athletics and so much more. As a valued aspect of this community, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UW-W) has recommitted as a Title Sponsor for the eighth annual DWS, scheduled for Sept. 20, 2020.
Thanks to the contributions of UW-W, the DWS is able to offer a fun and competitive event that showcases the beauty of Whitewater and highlights the UW-W campus. The new course route allows participants to see more of the UW-W campus than they have in the past.
“The new DWS course showcases more of Whitewater than ever before,” said DWS Executive Director, Jeffery Knight. “UW-W has always been a huge supporter of the race and we are thrilled to be highlighting the University’s campus. Without the University’s continuous generosity, we wouldn’t be able to plan such an incredible athletic event for the community.”
In addition to UW-W’s sponsorship, Aladdin Food Services provides food for race participants and volunteers. Aladdin supplies the food for a majority of the UW-W campus’s dining options. (Banner note: UW-W’s dining purveyor formerly did business as A’Viands; however, in December, 2019 its parent company, Elior North America, rebranded all of its higher education accounts to a single brand, Aladdin Food Management Services, LLC.)
In previous years, UW-W Dining Services in partnership with Aladdin has provided the pre-race dinner celebration for participants. While there may not be a pre-race dinner this year, participants and volunteers will still have plenty of opportunities to taste many of the delicious options that Aladdin Food Services has to offer.
Many UW-W students volunteer for DWS to earn volunteer hours and support the community. Typically, different campus organizations will also volunteer by manning many of the water stations that provide hydration to all participants. The DWS team is so grateful that even students come out and support the City of Whitewater.
“UW-Whitewater is pleased to help support the Discover Whitewater Series and have been onboard since the beginning,” Chancellor Dwight Watson said. “We are a proud partner in this event, and so many others, that showcase all that Whitewater has to offer. Whitewater is a great place to learn, live, work, play and run!”
Between providing volunteers, facilities, and food service UW-W is involved in almost every aspect of putting together the DWS.
UW-W’s sponsorship helps DWS grow and helps to create a fun event that the whole community of Whitewater can come together for. Proceeds from the race are donated to five local charities: Bethel House, UW-Whitewater Athletics, Working for Whitewater’s Wellness (W3), Whitewater Unified School District and the J-Hawk Aquatic Club.
The DWS team looks forward to another year working alongside UW-W. To learn more about the University and all that they do, check out http://www.uww.edu/.
About the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
The University was founded in 1868 and officially joined the University of Wisconsin System in 1971. Our campus has continued to grow and evolve ever since, and we hope you’ll come be a part of the next stage in our story. Our university recently had a significant milestone in our history. In 2018-19, UW-Whitewater celebrated its 150th anniversary. This is an outstanding accomplishment and speaks both to our legacy of excellence, and our ever-growing impact in our region and in Wisconsin. More recently, the UW-System board of regions announced that UW-Whitewater is the most affordable four-year college in Wisconsin. For more information visit www.uww.edu.
About the DWS
The goal of the DWS is to promote the City of Whitewater and highlight its greatest features, while keeping everyone in the community active. All the proceeds from the race are donated to five local non-profit partners: Bethel House (which provides interim housing for homeless families), Whitewater LEADS, Working for Whitewater’s Wellness (W3), Whitewater Unified School District and the J-Hawk Aquatic Club. The DWS partners with the city, business community, university and the school district to make this a tremendous event that benefits all who participate. For more information about the race visit www.runwhitewater.com.
Fort HealthCare has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2020 honor by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage , LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few. This is the tenth time that Fort HealthCare has proudly received this award.
“In times of great change, it is more important than ever to maintain a connection among employees,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “When you give your employees a voice, you come together to navigate challenges and shape your path forward based on real-time insights into what works best for your organization. The Top Workplaces program can be that positive outcome your company can rally around in the coming months to celebrate leadership and the importance of maintaining an employee- focused culture, even during challenging times.”
Nancy Alstad, Fort HealthCare Senior Director of Human Resources commented, “This recognition signifies that our employees continue to feel valued and proud to be part of Fort HealthCare; it is our employees’ enduring commitment to our mission and each other that sustains us and keeps us focused on quality patient care. We are so incredibly honored to receive this award for a tenth time!”
About Fort HealthCare Fort HealthCare is committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities, with a vision to be the healthiest community in Wisconsin. As the leading healthcare provider in the region, it is our goal to reach as many members of the community as possible with health and wellness messages, providing tools and resources to help individuals improve their health and quality of life, while collaborating with several partners to positively improve the population’s health overall on a long term basis. For more information, visit FortHealthCare.com.
About Energage Energage offers a fully unified SaaS platform, plus support and professional services, to help organizations recruit and retain the right talent. As a B-Corporation founding member, Energage has committed itself to the purpose of making the world a better place to work together. Based on 14 years of culture research, the engine behind 51 Top Workplaces programs across the country, and data gathered from over 20 million employees at 60,000 organizations, Energage has isolated the 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any business, and developed the tools and expertise to help organizations measure, shape and showcase their unique culture to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. For more information, please visit energage.com. Follow us on Twitter @teamenergage and Facebook and LinkedIn @energage.
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
At its August 19 meeting the Parks & Recreation Board heard a report from Program Coordinator Michelle Dujardin about the department’s plans to support parents in the midst of the evolving school year formats.
Daycare will be offered from 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. at the Downtown Armory for children K-5th grade. Participants may arrive and leave at any time during those hours. There’s a maximum of ten students and a minimum of four. The cost is $30/day per child, which includes two snacks; however, parents will provide a bag lunch. Ten work stations have been set up for the children’s school work, for which there will be two one-and-a-half hour periods set aside daily. The staff is prepared to assist the students with their digital learning; in fact, several of the staff attended training on the Seesaw online format. Work will be saved in draft form, so that parents will be able to review it before it is submitted to the teachers. As of the meeting, there is a waiting list, with no one on it, for the first two weeks of school.
After School: Will be available for children K-5th grade from 3-6 p.m. at each school on the day when a child has in-person learning. There’s a maximum of ten students and a minimum of four. The cost is $10/day.
For further information call the department at 262-473-0520.
In other business:
Director Eric Boettcher reported that the siphons on Trippe Lake are beginning to drop the lake depth. There are three 12″ siphons, approximately 100′ long, which operate on gravity.
Completion of the Cravath Lakefront Park Amphitheater is on schedule, with the grand opening scheduled for mid-September.
Seniors in the Park will sponsor a car show on August 26.
After clarification of the Governor’s facial covering order by the City Attorney, masks will be required in all areas of the Aquatic and Fitness Center with the exception of those who are swimming.
Soccer begins next week.
Average checkins at the Aquatic and Fitness Center in July were 89 per day compared with 149 in 2019. Only members are allowed to use the facility at this time. Use of the lap pool is by reservation, and it is functioning at 66% of capacity.
There was discussion regarding whether there would be community trick-or-treating, with a variety of opinions expressed but no decision.
Posted below is the information about the children’s program that was included in the Parks & Recreation Board agenda packet.
Whitewater After School Program Reopening Plan This is a working document and dependent on the current climate and status of Covid‐ 19. In addition, we will take into consideration any direction given to us from City, County and State guidelines that will be available at time of opening. Again, this is a working document and is subject to change as we gather more information.
After school families were surveyed to help best determine family needs and program structure. The survey was sent to 2019-2020 registered after school families, this totaled 109 users. Families were given two weeks to respond to the survey, 44 response were received. ( Survey Attached). In response to the survey, the following programs have been created and currently open for registration:
Start date for full day program located at the Downtown Armory is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept 1st through Friday, September 25th with a timeframe of 7:30am- 5:30pm. This program will take a maximum of 10 participants and a minimum of 4 participants. This program has a structured schedule that allows two different time blocks for connection to virtual learning with the help from Parks and Recreation Staff.
Start date for partial day program located at each Elementary School is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept 1st through Friday, Sept 25th with a timeframe of 3:00pm -6:00pm. This program will take a maximum of 10 participants and a minimum of 4 participants.
Safety measure are highly important to us. High touch surfaces will be wiped down every two hours, masks will be required, and, when people enter hand sanitizer or hand washing will also be required. Staff will meet requirements set by the city (mask, temp, reporting, etc) In the event of a COVID-19 situation, the department will follow the Jefferson County Health Department and current CDC Guidelines.
Per an event listing on the UW-Whitewater Camps and Conference website found here:
Tuesday, August 25, 2020 6-7 pm
jennifer Motszko
Join us as we open UW-Whitewater’s archives and show you how our records, photos, letters and services can help you learn more about your family’s past, property history, and much, much more. During this WebEx event, UW-Whitewater’s Digital Scholarship & Preservation Archivist Jennifer Motszko will
Provide a description of UW-Whitewater’s collections, resources, and services provided at the archives.
Offer ways to contact the Archives for research assistance both in person and remotely.
Share information on the Area Research Center Network and the services provided.
Answer your questions on how the Archives can help you and much more!
This event is free and open to the public for ages 18 and up. Attendance is limited to the first 20 registrants.
By Lisa Dawsey Smith Whitewater Banner staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
At its August 18 virtual meeting the Common Council adopted a substantially revised Equal Opportunities Commission ordinance. Such an ordinance has existed for over a decade; however, the commission established under that ordinance was only to be constituted in case a complaint of discrimination was filed. No such complaint has been filed in anyone’s memory, so far as is known. The newly constituted commission will be a standing commission, with City Manager Cameron Clapper indicating that he anticipates that it will be a proactive body. The goal will be to help to ensure that Whitewater is a welcoming, affirming and inclusive community, and to contribute to the elimination of racism and other forms of discrimination. A first priority will be a review of city services; in particular, those of the Police Department. The commission will be composed of one or two councilmembers and five to six citizens who may live and/or work in the city or live in the school district. Applications to serve on the commission will soon be solicited.
Also approved at the meeting was an authorization to sell city-owned property via auction, namely, Swenson bottom salter for single axle patrol; brand new / never used track snow blower; job truck #417 (old fire truck) and two Crown Victoria automobiles.
The meeting was held on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment to the Constitution,which gave women the right to vote. City Manager Cameron Clapper read a proclamation recognizing the anniversary, noting that Wisconsin was the first state, by a margin of minutes, to ratify the amendment.
As a result of a reader’s comment that it’s hard to find garage sales in Whitewater now that we no longer have a weekly shopper, the Banner staff has agreed to begin a “consolidated” garage sale posting that will be published each Thursday morning for the upcoming weekend’s sales. This announcement will only be for garage sales (a sale of miscellaneous household goods, often held in the garage or front yard of someone’s house) in the city and school district boundaries. We will not be accepting, for example, ads for cars or other items that are not part of a scheduled garage sale. There will be a limit of three times per year for a particular property. Although we may eventually make a small charge for this service, initially it will be complimentary.
Those wishing to place a notice must send the information to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com by Wednesday at 6 p.m. You may include a brief description of the items that are for sale, the hours and days of the sale, and of course your address.
