News & Events

Whitewater Parks and Recreation brought additional holiday cheer to the Lakefront on Saturday, December 14, 2024, with the successful Cookies and Milk with Santa event as part of the Christmas at Cravath festivities. Families gathered at the Cravath Lakefront Community Building to celebrate the season, with cookie decorating, crafts, Santa, and milk generously donated by Katzman Farms.

Children enjoyed the chance to share cookies and milk with Santa himself, ensuring he’s fueled for his preparations for the big day. According to photos shared by Recreation & Community Events Programmer Michelle Dujardin, smiles and holiday spirit were plentiful.

Whitewater Parks and Recreation Christmas celebrations continue next weekend with the Chili Cookoff and Holiday Movie event, scheduled from 6 to 8 PM at the Cravath Lakefront Community Building. Don’t miss out on this delicious way to enjoy the season and see which chili emerges as a winner! And remember, the brand new Christmas light installation will remain up through January 6, 2025, offering plenty of time for the community to enjoy. For those who haven’t been down to view the installation or may be unable to do so, the city has shared via its YouTube channel a walk-through video:

Article Submitted by Downtown Whitewater, Inc
Photos courtesy of Whitewater Parks and Recreation Department and Tom Ganser

As a result of concerns expressed by UW-Whitewater staff regarding pedestrian safety within the campus on Starin Road, the Common Council approved closing that portion of the road on a trial basis, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. from October 7 to October 18. A prior article on The Whitewater Banner described some of the findings of that trial, including increased traffic on Main Street and Schwager Drive. The Public Works Committee on December 10 considered those findings, together with the unanimous recommendation of city staff against a permanent, partial closure of the road. Staff conveyed concern regarding increased police/fire/EMS response times and the fact that in the past five years there have been five pedestrian crashes on Main Street versus none on Starin Road. Suggestions that were offered included student education on “defensive walking” and additional signage at Prince Street and Graham Avenue. The university suggested closing the street during weekdays with the use of gates that would be remotely/electronically controlled for emergency vehicle entry.

The Public Works Committee ultimately supported a recommendation to the Common Council to continue to move forward with the closure of the street. Council members Majkrzak and Smith spoke in support of the closure, while Hicks stated that he would like to see the possibility of additional less intrusive options before resorting to the closure.

The Common Council will consider the Public Works Committee’s recommendation at its December 17 meeting. The agenda packet includes a memorandum from City Manager John Weidl, supporting staff’s conclusion not to close the road. He states that in doing so, “the roadway would be closed for approximately 94.87% of total workweek commute hours, leaving commuters to rely on alternative routes during critical peak travel times. Annually, this equates to the roadway being closed for roughly 25-34% of the total hours in a year. These closures would disproportionately impact local residents and businesses by increasing traffic congestion on Main Street and Schwager Drive while adding wear and tear to these already busy corridors.”

If, however, the Council wishes to further explore the proposal, Weidl strongly recommends “a longer, non-permanent test period and a structured approach to planning, cost-sharing and formal agreements.”

Additional information and comments may be found beginning on page 241 of the Council agenda. As always, citizen comments are welcome both by email or during the public comment period at the meeting in the municipal building on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Whitewater Unified School District School Board – Monday @ 6:15 p.m. – CLOSED SESSION

6:15 p.m. via Zoom Online
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86742278083?pwd=RyqVfnI6Xxb4D38bkSbdQGeKAC3Qb9.1
– Passcode: 851762
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– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 867 4227 8083
– Passcode: 851762
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Closed Session agenda: discuss contract ratification of Administrator contracts.
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7:00 p.m. via Zoom Online — OPEN SESSION
Agenda (click on “meetings” in upper right corner) includes Initial Resolution Authorizing General Obligation Bonds in an Amount Not to Exceed $30,000,000 and Resolution Providing for a Referendum Election on the Question of the Approval of an Initial Resolution Authorizing the Issuance of General Obligation Bonds in an Amount Not to Exceed $30,000,000.
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89237631994?pwd=a0RQUlI1M2YyajZoMGR6Q2kvOEt1dz09
– Passcode: 586523
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– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 892 3763 1994
– Passcode: 586523

Irvin L. Young Library Board of Trustees – Monday @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda includes approval of 24-25 budget.
Cravath Lakefront Conference Room
312 W Whitewater St.
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 816 0067 3110
Passcode: WKyW7YEy
Telephone: +1 (312) 626-6799 US

City of Whitewater Common Council – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda debriefing of 2024 general election, Resolution Creating The City of Whitewater Trippe and Cravath Lake District, Discussion and Possible Action regarding Public Safety Referendum Question, and Discussion and Possible Action regarding the closure of Starin Road between Prairie Street and Warhawk Drive to vehicular traffic.
Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room
312 West Whitewater St.
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Please click the link below to join:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86996810151?pwd=KpIXXHMRK2Jyxa6oOr1uvr9TAqoxcD.1
Telephone: +1 (312) 626-6799 US
Webinar ID: 869 9681 0151
Passcode: 878627

City of Whitewater Finance Committee – Thursday @ 5:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion regarding the City Attorney Position Description and Job Posting
Cravath Lakefront room 2nd floor, 312 West Whitewater St.
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89373726790
Meeting ID: 893 7372 6790
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Dial +1 312 626 6799 US
Meeting ID: 893 7372 6790
+1 309 205 3325 US

City of Whitewater Community Development Authority Board of Directors – Thursday @ 5:30 p.m.
Agenda includes closed session, to reconvene: Discussion and possible action regarding Offer to Purchase a 10.96 acre parcel of vacant land (Tax Parcel No. /A444200001) and Discussion and possible action regarding potential development of 67-acre parcel of vacant land.
Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room,
312 West Whitewater St.
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89729565047?pwd=qxf-jhrY-4Wxmw_NdB127mE_32_GyA.w5FRkFi4GcsINHVD

Or Telephone:

Dial +1 312 626 6799 US
Webinar ID: 897 2956 5047
Passcode: 647974

Editor’s Note: The following interview was done by Marjorie Stoneman on behalf of Whitewater Unites Lives (WUL).

In 2008, Juan Garcia was a Whitewater High School graduate who never dreamed of being a director at a private boarding school in Wisconsin. And yet his life-path led him to St. John’s Northwestern Academies, where he is currently the director of admissions.

“It doesn’t matter where your starting line is – growing up in Whitewater is a privilege, and if you work hard nothing is impossible regardless of your living situation or your immigration status. Your work ethic will open doors,” said Juan.

Juan is an American citizen, born in Illinois. His mom immigrated from Mexico City, Mexico and his father from Cuscatlán, El Salvador – they met while his father was on his journey to the United States.

His father first worked in Chicago and then the family moved to Palmyra because his dad worked in the fields there. Several years later they moved to Whitewater because of their close ties to the St. Patrick Catholic Church.

Juan is fluent in Spanish because his mom only spoke Spanish, and that is what they spoke at home. He learned English in school. He said being the primary English speaker in his family made it difficult to get involved in extracurricular activities at Whitewater schools. Juan attended Lincoln Elementary School, Whitewater Middle School and Whitewater High School. “The experience is challenging because you always have the pressure of needing to help your parents with simple things like setting up a doctor’s appointment and translating this or that,” said Juan.

Juan explained that every student has a different starting-line. Many third and fourth-generation American students know their paths and plan to attend college or join a trade. Others like him had fewer resources to help determine their futures. He said many of his high school friends already knew their life-plan during high school, while he was trying to determine what he would do the day after graduation.

After high school, he tried two semesters of college at Blackhawk and determined that, at the time, school was not for him. He then joined the military and served active duty for 3 ½ years, then transitioned over to the Army Reserve where he became a drill sergeant and Army recruiter. At the same time, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and earned a degree in Criminal Justice.  Commissioning to an officer was always a dream of his and in April of 2024 he earned the rank of Second Lieutenant. He was sent to South Korea for his first duty station and was able to travel to many states and countries during active duty.

He first applied to St. John’s to be a “dorm dad” because of his drill sergeant experience, but the school needed a bilingual counselor, so he ended up in the admissions department, and thus his admissions career was launched six years ago. All of his work and education has led to his current job as director of admissions for St. John’s Northwestern Academies, a private co-ed school.

Juan attributes his success to a strong support system, including his mother, his wife Wendy (a 2013 Whitewater High School graduate), and his three children (ages 6, 3, and 1). His family provides him with unwavering love, encouragement, and motivation, inspiring him to strive for excellence.   

St. John’s was voted the number one Christian high school in the state in Niche 2025 Best Schools. As the director of admissions, he is responsible for the 225 students enrolled there and keeps in close contact with their families. This includes 94 international students and their families.

Juan has been able to travel to many different countries through his job, meeting with families around the world. He says that many of the international students know English already before they come to St. John’s. But, he said, it doesn’t matter whether they know English when they arrive. No matter where they are from, every international student brings their language and culture. This opens up the minds and hearts of the U.S.-born students, who are able to learn more about other cultures, foods and more. He believes that sharing their varied cultural experiences and learning about their common humanity enriches everyone’s lives.

According to a report on WMTV and a number of other media sources, a leak in an Enbridge pipeline in the town of Oakland in Jefferson County, about four miles east of Cambridge, resulted in an underground spill of an estimated 1,650 barrels, or about 70,000 gallons of oil. Although the issue was discovered by an Enbridge employee on November 11, and reported “immediately” to regulators, there was apparently no public notice until a report was released by the U.S. Department of Transportation [DOT] in the week of December 6. DOT indicated that the leak had been ongoing, apparently undetected, for an “extended period of time.”

Enbridge indicates that the spill on their Line 6 resulted from a faulty connection on a pump transfer pipe at the Cambridge Station. A leak detection system apparently failed. Repair and remediation costs are estimated at over $1 million. The company indicated that excavation is ongoing in consultation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, with 60% of the contaminated soil having already been removed. Per WMTV, “Line 6 is a 465-mile (748.3-kilometer) pipeline carrying crude oil from Superior, Wisconsin, to a terminal near Griffith, Indiana, according to a company map.“

The spill is the worst that Enbridge has experienced in the state, surpassing an incident in 2012 that spilled 50,000 gallons in Adams County.

The Duluth News Tribune reported, “Environmental advocacy groups said the spill shows the risks involved in operating oil pipelines. This week the Bad River tribe and environmental groups filed a legal challenge to state permits for a 41-mile stretch of new Enbridge pipeline in northern Wisconsin. Tony Wilkin Gibart of Midwest Environmental Advocates, which was part of that effort, pointed out in a statement that the Jefferson County spill was discovered the same week the state DNR determined the risk of spills along northern Wisconsin’s Line 5 would be “low.”

Written by Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Residents of the Whitewater Unified School District are encouraged to consider seeking a position on the School Board. The final day for filing is Tuesday, January 7, 2025, by 5:00 p.m.

Two seats will be on the spring ballot. The incumbents are Jennifer Kienbaum and Miguel Aranda. Incumbents have until Friday, December 27, by 5:00 p.m. to file their Notification of Noncandidacy. Under section 120.06(6)(b)3m of state statutes, the District Clerk will give the public prompt notice if any incumbent files their Notification of Noncandidacy on the School Board Election page of the District website. [The School Board Secretary, Christine Dodge, told The Whitewater Banner that Miguel Aranda has already filed for candidacy and Jennifer Kienbaum has neither filed for candidacy nor for noncandidacy. No other candidates have filed so far.] Update 12/16/24 @ 8:45 a.m.: Jennifer Kienbaum told the Banner that it is her intent to run for a third term.

Any person who is a United States citizen and a qualified elector of the Whitewater Unified School District is legally qualified to become a member of the School Board. In addition, Board candidates should have a genuine interest in and devotion to public education, a willingness to give time and effort to the position, a capacity to understand people, and the ability to work cooperatively with others. The School Board is the District policy-making authority and is responsible to the public for the success of all education services offered by the District. This success is dependent on many individuals, but also upon each Board member’s understanding of the workings of the District-wide operations and each member’s ability to participate meaningfully in the decision-making process that governs the District.

The candidate filing documents may be obtained and filed at the office of the School Board Secretary at the Whitewater Unified School District Central Office, 419 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater. School Board candidates do not circulate nomination papers, but the School Board Secretary, Christine Dodge, will assist to complete necessary filing documents.

CENTRAL OFFICE HOURS

Through Friday, December 20
M-Th, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m./ F, 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Monday, December 23 through Friday, January 3 – The Central Office is Closed
Monday, January 6
7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 7
7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. is the deadline for filing candidacy paperwork)