News

Wishing you a peaceful and pleasant day. Thanks for reading the Banner.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by Al Stanek.

With Jerry Grant’s recent announcement of non-candidacy, Whitewater resident Al Stanek has announced his willingness to represent the City of Whitewater on the Walworth County Board.

Stanek is a former member and Chair of the Whitewater Community Development Authority. He represents Walworth County on the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Authority, a multicounty agency working to maintain safe and efficient rail service to area businesses.

A former senior level transportation planner in the Tommy Thompson administration, Stanek also served two years as Transportation Coordinator for Walworth County when the county’s efforts at responding to the transportation needs of the elderly and disabled were enhanced significantly.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the City of Whitewater Parks & Recreation Dept.

We would like to thank everyone who participated and voted for this year’s Deck The House Light Event. A huge thank you to The Whitewater Chamber of Commerce for supplying Chamber Bucks for event winners.

Congratulations to the top three houses in Whitewater. Be sure to take a look at all the amazing entries in Whitewater and all the other participating communities. https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer…Top Three Voted Homes: 190 Locust Lane, 216 Locust Lane, & 610 N Walton. (Pictures Below)

By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

The Whitewater Common Council voted to complete the dredging of its two downtown area lakes next year within the parameters of the remaining $1.38 million budget for the project. Council members were given several options at their December 21 meeting after initial bids for the lakes improvement project came in higher than expected

Cravath Lake across from Whitewater’s City Hall and Trippe Lake on the city’s eastside have been drawn down over the past two years with the goal of making them cleaner and deeper. Over decades they have filled in with silt and been taken over by invasive plant species that make them undesirable for recreational purposes.

City Parks and Recreation Director Eric Boettcher told Common Council members that a controlled burn of remaining vegetation will likely continue for several days this week along with another planned burn in Spring.

The project’s original budget of roughly $1.5 million is estimated to have $1.38 million remaining after the scheduled Spring 2022 controlled burn. That would be less than the lowest bid of $2.5 million to dredge both lake beds and a similar bid by a local contractor of over $2 million to complete the project over a two year period.

The revised plan is to work with either the previous low bidder, or local firm Kowalski and Sons Excavating, with a less ambitious approach that reduces the total cubic yards of dredged material removed from the two lakes to match the remaining project budget. An effort at private fundraising to add to the remaining budget and possibly remove the original amount of estimated dredge material will also be a part of the revised plan which is to be completed early next year.

Both downtown lakes provided recreational opportunities like swimming, fishing and water ski shows which community leaders have indicated would be a valuable enhancement for the Whitewater community if restored.

By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Jerry Grant, who represents the bulk of the City of Whitewater on the Walworth County Board, has announced that he will not seek reelection. Grant, a retired Whitewater Police Department Sergeant, will have served 20 years in that role.

Residents interested in running for Grant’s position have until January 4 to file nomination papers. Information on running is available at www.co.walworth.wi.us/201/running-for-county-offices or by calling the Walworth County Clerk’s Office in Elkhorn at 262-741-4241.

Grant is the current Vice-Chair of the 11 member elected body that oversees spending for county operations that include state-mandated human services programs, the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department, roadway maintenance and other operations that are partially funded by taxes paid by Whitewater city residents who reside in Walworth County.

Walworth County taxes represent 16% of the total of tax bills mailed out by the City of Whitewater. The Whitewater Unified School District represents 52% of the annual tax bill. The City of Whitewater portion represents 28% with 3% provided to Gateway Technical College. A smaller portion of the City of Whitewater is in Jefferson County which results in slightly different percentages.

During Grant’s service Walworth County has replaced or improved nearly all of its physical facilities while retiring all county debt. Walworth County is reportedly one of only two of Wisconsin’s 72 Counties to be debt free. Grant has been Vice-Chair three times in his career and currently serves on the Public Works and Finance Committees.

You are invited to join us at The Congregational UCC

Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service

beginning at 5 pm

Congregational UCC

Rev. Dr. David McDonald

133 S. Franklin Street

Whitewater, WI 53190

*Masks are required

By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

School Board

Jaclyn Tueting, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent & School Board Secretary, reported that as of Wednesday, December 22, the following three persons had filed as candidates for the School Board election on April 5:
Jennifer Kienbaum (incumbent)
Joseph Kromholz (incumbent)
Andrea Svec

Kromholz was appointed by the board on December 6 to the position formerly held by the late Jim Stewart. He was one of three applicants, and due to an extended tie vote between him and Svec, the appointment was decided by a coin toss.  Svec was also one of four successful candidates for the board in the February, 2021 primary election; however, a few weeks before the April election she indicated that she was no longer actively pursuing a seat.

The WUSD office is now closed until January 3. The filing deadline is Tuesday, January 4 at 5:00 p.m. Nomination papers are not required; filing is a very brief process.

Common Council

Michele Smith, City Clerk, reported that as of Wednesday, December 22, the following persons had filed as candidates for the Common Council election on April 5:
District 2 – Lukas Schreiber (incumbent)
District 4 – Jill Gerber
At Large – Jim Allen (incumbent)

Lynn Binnie has announced that he is not running for re-election to represent District 4.

The city offices will be closed on Friday, December 24; Monday, December 27 and Friday, December 31. Anyone interested in filing for candidacy is encouraged to contact the City Clerk’s office as soon as possible, as nomination papers are required for Common Council, and the deadline is Tuesday, January 4 at 5:00 p.m.

By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

A fundraising effort to renovate and expand the City of Whitewater’s Irvin L. Young Memorial Library is scheduled to begin next year after obtaining a tentative commitment of a major future financial commitment from the Common Council.

The campaign to raise at least $1 million of private contributions to match the roughly $1 million of existing library liquid assets comes after an expression of a future potential commitment of $3 million of City of Whitewater funds to the project. Actual commitment of City dollars would require future Common Council approval after a successful private fundraising effort. Project supporters told the Common Council that an indication of City financial support is essential to successful fundraising.

Efforts to modernize and expand the structure originally built in 1991 have been considered multiple times in the past. The latest effort comes after the Comon Council debated the plan at both its August 17 and November 16 meetings. Council member Jim Allen was the sole vote against making the tentative commitment. He described the projected cost of the remodeling component of the project as “outlandish.”

Library Director Stacey Lunsford told council members that the 30-year old structure is in need of lighting and technology improvements and remodeling to meet the needs of a 21^st century public library. She emphasized a need for additional flexible meeting space, a lobby where conversation might take place separated from traditional library quiet zones, improved public computer access, a larger makerspace and facilities to draw more teenagers and families with young children to the library.

The city portion of the proposed $5 million project would require future borrowing. City Finance and Administrative Services Director Steve Hatton presented a multiyear financial projection that indicated that the closing of existing Tax Incremental Finance Districts (TIDS) will add a significant amount of additional taxable property value beginning in 2023. Hatton’s presentation indicated that the increased tax revenue could allow for additional city borrowing while still staying within the “fairly conservative” Common Council adopted goal of not exceeding 70% of the City’s state imposed borrowing limit.

Library Board Member and former Common Council member Jim Winship advised that the fundraising effort would need to be successful by the end of next year for the proposed project to stay on schedule.

The following photos were provided by Tom Ganser. Eric Boettcher, Parks & Recreation Director, reported at the Common Council meeting on December 22 that burning had been suspended that day due to high humidity, but it was hoped that the project could be completed by December 24.

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