News & Events

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

The Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center (WAFC) has been operating for three years without the benefit of the necessary agreement between the City of Whitewater and the Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD). The Common Council and the School Board began the negotiation process towards executing a new agreement on March 2, 2023. Although at an October 11 joint meeting both entities expressed the view that an agreement could likely be consummated as soon their respective legal counsels completed their review, it appears that the parties are still not ready to sign what was proposed to be a five year contract.

On December 19 the Banner received from WUSD the press release that is provided below.

WUSD Board Learns of Changes to Aquatic Center Agreement

WHITEWATER, WI — During its December 18 meeting, the Whitewater Unified School District School (WUSD) Board learned of proposed changes to prior publicly negotiated agreements with the City of Whitewater Common Council regarding operations expenses of the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center.

In joint meetings of the WUSD School Board and the City of Whitewater Common Council, the Boards agreed to operations and capital funding responsibilities. Specifically, it was openly agreed that the Common Council would be responsible for operational surplus/deficits and WUSD would add additional funding towards capital maintenance. “The board is disappointed to learn that the city is trying to make material changes to provisions that both boards had agreed upon,” said Board President Larry Kachel. 

The Board is seriously considering seeking arbitration after the new year, should the City of Whitewater Common Council be unwilling or unable to meet with representatives of the WUSD School Board before that time.

The Banner provided the Common Council President, James D. Allen, the opportunity to comment on the WUSD press release. No response has been received. The Banner also reached out to the Office of the City Manager, and the following response was received.

City Manager’s Office Remains Committed to WAFC

Dear Common Council & Community Members,
In response to the recent press release issued by the Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) regarding the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center (WAFC) agreement, the City Manager is clarifying his stance and actions taken in this matter.

In this context, it’s important to address recent actions by the School Board President. Recently, there were attempts to engage in individual discussions with members of the City’s elected body, outside formal public meetings. When the appropriateness of these private discussions was questioned via email by the City Manager, efforts were redirected toward a public strategy. This public approach, however, appears to misrepresent the sequence of events and the nature of the changes proposed to the WAFC agreement.

A review of the publicly available documents and video very quickly and effectively demonstrates the accuracy of the public negotiations.

On October 11, 2023, at the last joint meeting of the WAFC, which included the full governing bodies of both WUSD and the City, the City Council unanimously voted to approve a version of the WAFC contract. In contrast, the School Board did not, and their President indicated that any modifications from WUSD would be minor. However, as our legal counsel, Mr. Smith has clearly outlined in his memo in the November 7th Common Council packet, the changes subsequently made by WUSD were not minor but substantive, writing: “My recommendation is to come to a fair agreement regarding the scheduling and use of the WAFC, with either party paying for any operational cost overruns it may cause.”

With the City having agreed in its approved document to absorb any financial overages, any further modifications need to be met with additional resources or additional concessions, as outlined in Mr. Smith’s publicly available document to the City Council. In short, the public and WUSD had this information long before the most recent statement by WUSD.

The City Council, after openly reviewing Mr. Smith’s memo, convened in a closed session on November 7 and directed Mr. Smith to engage in negotiations addressing these material discrepancies. This step underlines our commitment to professional, legal mediation, and our responsibility to the City and its taxpayers. It was during this process that the School Board President began to approach individual members of the City’s governing body to discuss portions of the negotiations that were discussed in respective closed sessions as well as items that only would have been carried forward by Mr. Smith to the legal representatives of WUSD.
In light of this, I find it necessary to address the public narrative now being shaped by WUSD.

The City Manager’s office and the staff have always prioritized transparency and accountability. In line with this, my office has released all relevant documents, including those highlighting the initial and significant alterations made by WUSD to the City Council-approved agreement.

As City Manager, I remain focused on navigating these negotiations with the utmost professionalism and diligence and I will continue to provide updates as the City and WUSD work towards a resolution. The Common Council will be reviewing this topic with legal counsel at the January 16, 2024 meeting to try and find common ground so as to put this matter behind us and return to the successful operation of the WAFC.

Regards,
John S. Weidl, City Manager

The Banner provided WUSD School Board President Larry Kachel with the above response from the city manager.

Larry Kachel provided the following response to the Banner: “I just want to get the deal done, and I believe we will, but there has been a small wrench thrown in the works.”

Previous Banner posts on this subject may be found here:

“Aquatic Center Operating & Lease Agreement Negotiations Between WUSD & City Continue” – March 1
“City and School District are on Different Pages as Aquatic & Fitness Center Negotiations Commence” – March 24
WUSD Issues Statement on WAFC Agreement; City Manager Responds – May 15
“Weidl Suggests City Might Discontinue Aquatic Operations & Only Run a Fitness Center” – June 5
“Council and School Board Try Again Monday to Ink a New WAFC Agreement” (Updated) – August 20
“Council & School Board Reach Agreement on New WAFC Contract” – August 29

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

Per Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, Willie Hearn, age 69, of 370 N. Tratt St., #124, was sentenced by Judge David M. Reddy in Walworth County Circuit Court on December 20 as a result of his conviction on October 24 of two felony and four misdemeanor counts arising from the armed robbery of the BP Station, 1138 W. Main Street in Whitewater, on May 19, 2023. The sentence for armed robbery with threat of force was eight years in prison followed by six years of extended supervision. Although additional confinement was ordered for the other five counts, those sentences will run concurrently with the first. The conditions of the extended supervision include maintaining absolute sobriety, no possession of any illegal drugs, shall not be in any establishment where the primary purpose is the sale and/or consumption of alcohol, no dangerous weapons or ammunitions. Hearn will also be prohibited from having contact with the BP Station (doing business as Raceway Food Mart) or their employees, or the victim, Sally Thompson.

Previous reports related to this case may be found in the following Banner posts:
Willie Hearn convicted of armed robbery of BP station. – October 24
Whitewater Police make arrest in BP station robbery – May 19
Whitewater man charged with armed robbery of BP/Raceway Food Mart – May 22

Historic Heart Prairie Lutheran Church
Christmas Eve Services, Sunday, Dec. 24th
1:00 & 2:00 p.m.
R and W Townline Rd, on Whitewater Lake
Dress warm

First English Lutheran Church
Sunday, Dec. 24th
4:00 p.m. Candles & Choir, Brass & Strings Service
7:00 p.m. Contemplative Guitar, Organ, and Flute Service

Editor’s note: The above announcement was provided by Rev. Joseph O’Donnell.

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society.

This week we return to our tradition of posting a penny postcard “wishing you a Merry Christmas.” These penny postcards were popular during the first few decades of the 20th century and cost only a 1 cent stamp to send. This card was printed in Germany and has “post card” written in many languages on the back.

Merry Christmas and join us next week for New Year’s greetings.

During the week of December 18-20, WHS celebrated Winter Week. The week consisted of dress days, an all-school game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, and an assembly, followed by a donut breakfast.

Monday’s dress day was Wisconsin Day. Staff and Students dressed in Wisconsin gear (Badgers, Bucks, Brewers, Packers, Whippets, Flannels, and Cheeseheads).

On Tuesday, it was White Out Day, along with an all-school, all-day long, game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Five $5 Sweet Spot gift cards were awarded to Emerson Ellenwood, Marijose Verduzco, Leah Newman, and Junior Soto for being the top four students to win and to Rapha Cortez for being the staff winner.

On Wednesday, staff and students wore their ugly sweaters and brought anything but a backpack to school. Students and staff also attended an assembly where Officer Michelle Martin was recognized for her years of service in the Whitewater Unified School District and Casey Lyon was recognized for breaking the record for the most points in a boys’ basketball game. Casey scored 47 points against East Troy, last week Friday; the previous record of 46 points was held for over 50 years by Hugh Gnatzig. The Winter Court was also announced at the assembly (see the names below). The Pom Squad performed, and a competitive game of Musical Chairs took place. The winner of that game was Richi Kalra. As the assembly started to wrap up, Emerson and Marijose played a final round of Rock, Paper, Scissors for the overall winner. Marijose won in best out of three games. To complete the assembly, staff and students participated in an ugly sweater contest. The winner was junior Andrew O’Toole.

To wrap up Wednesday morning, a donut breakfast was held for WHS, while a group of staff members and former students played instruments and provided music. Thank you to the Student Council and the Kitchen Crew for making the donut breakfast possible.

Happy Holidays, WHS!

Winter Court: 

• Emilia Houwers represented Model United Nations.
• Meg Roselle represented Hope Squad. 
• Savannah O’Neal represented the Pom Squad.
• Cruz Aranda represented the Boys’ Swim Team
• Representing Gymnastics was Gabriella Pena Perroni.
• Representing Boys’ Wrestling was Jesus Barajas. 
• Representing Girls’ Wrestling was Lauren Buehler.
• Representing Boys’ Basketball was Emerson Ellenwood.
• Representing Girls’ Basketball was Aidyn Amundson.
• Chris Cortes represented the Computer Programming Team.
• Representing WHS Players was Brooke Mason.
• Calli Grosinske represented SADD.
• Representing Key Club was Emily Henderson. 

Article Submitted by Amy Houwers
Whitewater High School Student Council Advisor
ahouwers@wwusd.org
Photos Courtesy of Tom Ganser

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Public Library.

Looking for something to do with your family over winter break? The community is invited to a demonstration by Ferradermis Robotics Team at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library on Wednesday, December 27. Drop in the library’s community room anytime between 9:30-11:30 a.m. to see the team operate their robot and answer questions.

Ferradermis, FIRST Robotics Competition Team #6574, is based out of Whitewater High School. The mission of Ferradermis is to create a sustainable extracurricular environment and provide mentorship for high school students to participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).

This is a free, fun family event. The Irvin L Young Memorial Library is located at 431 W. Center Street in Whitewater.

Contact Sarah French with questions at sfrench@whitewater-wi.gov or 262-458-2782.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Fort HealthCare.

Over the past year, construction equipment has been very visible on the Fort HealthCare campus. Two major projects are now completed that will vastly improve parking options for patients, visitors, and Fort HealthCare staff members. The Ambulatory Services Parking Lot has been reconfigured, almost doubling parking spaces for patients and visitors. In addition, after almost 20 years of remote parking for employees, there is now enough space for all staff to park on the hospital campus. Both of these improvements are intended to enhance both the patient and staff experience at Fort HealthCare.

In addition to this project, Fort HealthCare has another major remodeling project slated to begin in 2024. This project will again aim to improve the patient and visitor experience at Fort HealthCare by consolidating several clinical services onto the main campus. “By placing many of our services together on the Fort HealthCare campus, patients will spend less time navigating across town,” states Dr. Michael Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer. He adds, “Our goal is to optimize the patient experience. Unifying the location of multiple clinical services will help accomplish that.” In addition, this remodeling project will replace mechanicals in the older part of the building that have been operational since 1949.

“It is important for Fort HealthCare to be good stewards of our facility and to continue to update and improve the buildings over time. Our aim is to continue to be the trusted, community hospital serving Jefferson County. We have been here for over 80 years. Our commitment to this project reflects Fort HealthCare’s enduring dedication to the health and well-being needs of our patients and community well into the future,” concludes Dr. Anderson.

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. Please visit FortHealthCare.com for more information.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Rock County Sheriff’s Office. The department has previously indicated to The Banner that Rock County residency is not required to enroll in their classes.

Sheriff Fell is pleased to announce that the Rock County Sheriff’s Office will offer our first 2024 ATV Safety Education Course on January 9, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., and January 20, 2024, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., at the Rock County Fairgrounds – Craig Center, 1301 Craig Ave, Janesville, WI 53545. Students will need to attend both sessions to graduate.

Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988, is required to complete an ATV Safety Education Course in order to legally operate an ATV or UTV in areas open to the public within the State of Wisconsin. It is recommended that participants are at least 12 years of age or turn 12 shortly after the class.

ATV Safety Education Course – Class #1
Session 1: January 9, from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. @ Rock Co. Fairgrounds – Craig Center
Session 2: January 20, from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. @ Rock Co. Fairgrounds – Craig Center

Registration is now open. Complete the online enrollment form to reserve a seat. https://www.co.rock.wi.us/departments/sheriff-s-office/recreational-patrol/atv-education

Class size is limited to thirty students. Upon submission of the registration form, the submitter will see an onscreen confirmation message with course information. The course fee of $10 per student will be collected at the first session. If the student is under 18 years old, a parent/guardian will need to attend the first session with the student. Students will receive course materials at the first session. Please direct any questions to Deputy Trevor Lund at trevor.lund@co.rock.wi.us