News

(Lions Club submission) The Whitewater Lions Club hosted their 45th Annual Fish-A-Ree on February 14! The challenges brought about by Covid-19, bitter cold and tons of snow inspired the Lions to make several innovated changes. The Drive Thru Pancake Breakfast utilized a Car-Hop Style service, manned by a group of school age volunteers, to serve the steaming hot pancakes, eggs and sausages right to the cars. Because the Lions clubhouse was not open to the public, we decided to incorporate an On-Line Auction to replace the Bucket Raffles that our supporters have enjoyed for so many years. Another innovation this year was the live streaming of the action in the kitchen to the action on the ice on Facebook. Whether sitting in an ice fishing tent or the comfort of their home, everyone could feel involved.

With changes comes progress. We sincerely thank each and every one who attended our Pancake Breakfast, bought a raffle ticket and bid in our auction. And a special Lions THANK YOU to the Greater Whitewater Lake Property Owners Association. The Whitewater Lions Club is truly blessed to have so many Businesses and Industries in Whitewater and surrounding communities with huge Valentine’s Day Hearts.

Hearts and Roses to Generac of Whitewater and Next Home Realty for being sponsors of our $500 Cash Raffle. Thanks also to K&W Greenery of Janesville for sponsoring the Largest Fish prizes. And a huge heart goes to DLK Enterprises for purchasing pancake breakfasts for 90+ residents of Brookdale Manor and Blackhawk Apartments. A complete list of our supporters is posted in the Whitewater Lions Club Facebook Page.

2021 FISH-A-REE FISH OF THE DAY WINNERS
Category Winner/Length/Amount
Northern – Tory Francis 27 inches $50.00
Bass – Bruce Sarow 19 1/8 inches $50.00
Walleye – none
Perch – Layne Hamilton 6 3/8 inches $25.00
Crappie – Chase Wilcox 7 3/4 inches $25.00
Blue Gill – Steve Runnoe 5 inches $25.00

AND THE WINNER IS—

CONGRATULATIONS to  Donna Vosburgh.

Donna Vosburgh of Whitewater is the winner of the Whitewater Lions Club 2021 Fish-A-Ree $500 dollar cash raffle. Pictured here is Donna accepting the $500 from Fish-A-Ree Chairman Lion Steve Malone. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this year’s Fish-A-Ree!!

(Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club submission) The Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club will be postponing its annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser, typically held in March, until May 8 due to COVID health and safety concerns. 

Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club President Jean Bromley said, “Our members have decided that, due to safety concerns for volunteers and attendees, the club will not be holding our Pancake Breakfast in March.  We are looking at May 8, and we want our community to know that Kiwanis will be back with those delicious pancakes and Jones sausages.” 

The Pancake Breakfast is the major fundraiser for the Kiwanis Whitewater Breakfast Club, which is made up of dedicated volunteers who help children in the Whitewater community and the world, all with 100 percent of funds raised going directly to projects helping improve the lives of children in the community.  Each year, the club distributes approximately $20,000, with over half going to the Whitewater Unified School District, including scholarships.  Kiwanis helped to build and maintain the Flowing Well Shelter, a shelter and accessible playground at Starin Park and Treyton’s Field of Dreams, the WHS football field lights and press box, as well as adopting a highway to clean up.  In addition, the group donates to the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club, the Friends of the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center Family Partnership Fund, the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House and more. More information can be found on the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club Facebook page.

Donations to Kiwanis are welcome, and should be sent to:  Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club, P. O. Box 427, Whitewater, WI 53190. 

“We very much welcome and appreciate donations to help us with our mission of changing the world, one child at a time,” said Bromley.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.

(City of Whitewater submission)

Lakes Drawdown Community Meeting
Wednesday, February 24 – 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

City of Whitewater is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/94328678246?pwd=dlljR2tmb0hoZFlGb0sxOXhCdHlZZz09
Meeting ID: 943 2867 8246
Passcode: 845632
You can also dial using your phone.
+1 312 626 6799 US
Meeting ID: 943 2867 8246
Passcode: 845632

Presentation by Eric Boettcher, Parks & Recreation Director, and Heidi Bunk, Lakes Biologist, WI Dept. of Natural Resources

Agenda:

(University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Young Auditorium submission)

(University of Wisconsin-Whitewater submission) Chancellor Dwight C. Watson announced the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s plans for the fall 2021 semester will include in-person classes and on-campus living and dining experiences as they were pre-pandemic. In addition, plans include athletics, arts and other expected activities.

“We at UW-Whitewater are always focused on student support and success,” Watson said. “We do not yet know what, if any, modifications — such as mask wearing and restrictions in class sizes — will remain in place as we return in the fall. Just as our protocols under COVID-19 have been based on county, state, and federal health department guidelines, our path to a safe fall 2021 will continue to be based on this guidance.”

To get to fall, Watson said everyone needs to continue to follow the Warhawk Social Covenant: wear a mask when in public, stay socially distant when appropriate, wash hands regularly and get tested, and — when eligible — get vaccinated.

Currently enrolled students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisers to be ready for fall priority registration, April 5-16. 

Newly admitted students can sign up for Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) beginning March 1.

“We can’t wait to welcome you to the Warhawk family!” Watson said.

(Marquette University submission) Odessa Sonn of Whitewater, WI, has been named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2020 semester at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sonn is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations.

To make the Dean’s List, students must have earned at least 12 credits for the fall 2020 semester and have no disqualifying grades. The GPA threshold varies by college – for the College of Education and the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, undergraduate students must have at least a 3.7 to be named to the Dean’s List.
 
The undergraduate GPA requirement is 3.5 for the following colleges: the Diederich College of Communication, the College of Business Administration, the College of Health Sciences, the Opus College of Engineering and the College of Nursing. All other programs have a 3.75 GPA minimum.

Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university located near the heart of downtown Milwaukee, Wis., that offers a comprehensive range of majors in 11 nationally and internationally recognized colleges and schools.
 
More than 8,000 undergraduate students and 3,500 graduate and professional students attend Marquette University; nearly all states and 64 countries are represented.

In addition to its nationally recognized academic programs, Marquette is known for its service learning programs and internships as students are challenged to use what they learn to make a difference in the world. Find out more about Marquette at marquette.edu.

(Whitewater Unites Lives submission) Seven-year-old Milena Baker (almost 8 years old) is a WUL Hometown Hero, and has been nominated “For raising $2,867 as well as boxes of toiletries and donations for New Beginnings APFV as a part of her Brownie community service project for Whitewater Girl Scouts Troop 7639.” 

Milena chose New Beginnings, which provides support for people affected by domestic abuse.  Donations came from as far away as Florida and two from the United Kingdom!

Araceli Wence, of New Beginnings APFV, said, “Thank you so much to Milena and WUL, you make a difference in people’s lives.”

The mission of New Beginnings is to provide supportive services and advocacy for adult and child victims of domestic violence and/or sexual abuse, and to educate the community about these critical issues.  They also offer services in Spanish provided by advocates/counselors that are culturally competent.  The group is based out of Elkhorn, with a location in Whitewater.

New Beginnings is available to provide assistance or information about domestic and sexual abuse by calling 262-723-4653.  They also assist with legal information and filling out paperwork for restraining orders.  All of their services are free and confidential. 

WUL (Whitewater Unites Lives) is a locally-focused civil and human rights group that works to connect the people in our community and to create opportunities for all people to learn and support each other in our common humanity.   

 Anyone who would like to nominate a local hero of any age should send their nomination, with a short description, to whitewaterunites@gmail.com 

Welcome back to #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society! This week’s Flashback features a snowy Oak Grove Cemetery. One acre of land was donated by Dr. James Trippe in 1844 for use as the then-tiny village’s cemetery. Dr. Trippe himself became the second person buried there, after Jotham Newton Baker was reinterred from the ground originally designated for the town cemetery between Church and Franklin Streets. Local leaders decided that the latter location was too near the village for a burial ground. Thus, Grove Cemetery was established. The Whitewater Cemetery Association formed in November 1848 and purchased two more acres in 1858. In 1884, local businessman George Esterly directed the installation of a cast iron gate, giving the cemetery its current name, Oak Grove Cemetery. There are over 800 recorded burials in the cemetery, including soldiers from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War, as well as most of the pioneer families and founders of Whitewater.

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society collections!

(5469P, Whitewater Historical Society)

​The Whitewater Historical Society collects, preserves, and interprets the history of Whitewater and the surrounding area. Be sure to join us next week for more from the Society’s collections. Please “like” us on Facebook, and check out our website at whitewaterhistoricalsociety.org!​ 

By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
February 19, 2021

Whitewater area citizens will be able to get an update and offer questions and comments on the Cravath and Trippe Lakes drawdown project at a phone-in and online public meeting scheduled for this Wednesday (February 24).

Whitewater’s Cravath and Trippe lakes, connected by dams near the former American Legion Building on Wisconsin Street, have become overgrown with algae and weeds over the years and the multiyear project is designed to restore them closer to their original condition and offer increased recreational opportunities.

Information on how to access the 5:30 February 24^th meeting can be obtained through this Banner link or by visiting the City of Whitewater website at www.whitewater-wi.gov/Calendar; paging down to February 24 on the calendar, highlighting the Lakes Drawdown Meeting and hitting “more details.” For those not familiar with using the “Zoom” link online meeting tool, make a note of the meeting ID number and passcode and dial any of the toll-free phone numbers. You will be asked to enter the meeting number and passcode on your phone keypad to listen in to the presentation. When the public comment period begins you will be advised how to “raise your hand” to be called on and then on how to “unmute” your phone if you are interested in putting forth a question or comment.

At a preview of the public information opportunity at the February 18^th Common Council meeting Whitewater Parks and Recreation Director Eric Boettcher had both good news and bad news regarding the effort. Boettcher pointed out that Cravath Lake in the downtown area had drained essentially as expected and that “syphons” on the eastside’s Trippe Lake continue to allow flow even in sub-zero conditions. He added, however, that it is more than likely that additional syphons will need to be installed in Spring to enable Trippe Lake to drain sufficiently before dredging can take place next Winter.

The Trippe Lake “syphons” are underwater intake grates placed several feet below the main dam’s water entry point. They are connected to 12-inch tubes that direct the flow over the dam and ultimately into neighboring Cravath Lake. Boettcher explained that when enough of Trippe Lake is drawn down as expected later this year a controlled burn of the remaining plant life on both lakebeds will be conducted and both lakes will be dredged of some of the accumulated silt. The plan is to begin refilling the lakes in the Spring of 2022. The original plan had called for refilling this year.

In other water related issues the Common Council discussed the appropriate sizing of the proposed new water tower on the City’s southwest side and took initial steps to acquire a one-acre parcel just over the “bridge to nowhere” on Indian Mound Parkway. The project is intended to stabilize water pressure and replace the capacity provided by the Starin Park Water Tower and an adjacent ground level reservoir that were both constructed in 1889. City Manager Cameron Clapper and council members were quick to point out that there are no plans to remove the Starin Park Water Tower. The 131-year-old structure (believed to be the second oldest in the state) is often referred to as “Witches Tower” because of local legend connecting it to alleged paranormal events. Councilman Jim Allen jokingly advised that “the witches have a 99-year lease on the tower.”

On a somewhat related matter the Common Council voted to make an offer to purchase a home adjacent the City Water Plant on Fremont Street. The house at 336 North Fremont Street is between the Water Plant and another home owned by the city and backs up to Starin Park. The Council decided to pursue the opportunity only if an appropriate price can be negotiated.

The February 18 Council meeting also featured an update on plans to close existing Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) Districts in hopes of being able to again use that development tool. The plan includes being able to use the final year of the revenue from the City’s largest TIF District to fund efforts to make housing more affordable in Whitewater and possibly provide funding for housing rehabilitation. The opportunity is the only one of three potential uses that advisors say the City has available under a state authorized TIF District extension program. Numerous other Wisconsin communities have reportedly taken advantage of this program. It is expected to generate somewhere around $2 million for community development.