2011 Budget Passed by Elmwood Village Board
Submitted by citizen journalist Rick A. Talford
ELMWOOD, WI - On December 6th, 2010 the Elmwood Village Board met for their monthly meeting. The meeting was held a week early this month, so the board could approve the upcoming 2011 Budget. A Public Hearing was held prior to the meeting to give the public a chance to question any areas of the budget prior to it getting passed by the board. The hearing was closed after about fifteen minutes, with no public questions. The meeting was also held one hour earlier than normal, starting at 6 pm. All members of the board were present with the exception of Trustee Bob Weix.
In Public Input, Office Matt Broehm spoke to the board in regards to a new ordinance. This ordinance will be in conjunction with the Elmwood Public School, and will need to have further discussion with them, and the village board. It is called a K2 Bann Ordinance. I have requested more information on this ordinance to give the public an idea of what it details, but have not received any response as of yet. I hope to be able to give more detail in the near future. No Action was taken. I have been given the information as of today, Dec. 14th, 2010. This is an ordinance against the new synthetic spray drug version of Marijuana. It has many other names, such as spice, k2, Genie, Yucatan Fire, and fake marijuana. This has not yet become against state or federal law, but many cities and smaller communities are taking action now.
The board then voted unanimously on the 2011 Budget, with Bob Weix being absent from the vote. In Committee and Board Reports, Trustee Patricia Knops reported the Nursing Home Budget had been approved, and a bid was accepted for their projects. This information was not going to be made public, until some finalizations were made to the bid. Trustee Bruce Hartung then spoke about the Personnel and Finance Committee, stating they will be working on employee evaluations. Concluding the reports, there was discussion from the Parks and Building Committee over the continued problems with water ponding at the intersection of Main and Hwy 72. There is still an issue of water sitting on the corner nearest to Rheil’s Funeral Home. There was no report from the Library this month, due to Trustee Bob Weix being absent.
Finishing the board meeting, the board discussed payment of the bills. Trustee Bruce Hartung questioned if there was a hold back on the Butternut Park Ravine repairs and Clerk Amy Wayne confirmed that 10% was held back and would be paid when the project was inspected in the spring and everything was favorable. The meeting then adjourned around 6:40 pm.
(Note-- Last month the board stated the meeting was going to be held a week early, but never mentioned it would be held an hour early. Anyone that would have showed up at 7pm for the meeting, would have found an empty meeting room. I am now believing more that the meetings should be posted in the newspaper at least a week prior to the meeting, so it ensures the public knows when there are changes in the time and date of the meetings. I attend these meetings, and had no clue the meeting would be held an hour early, and it would be done by its original start time. Just a thought that should be brought to the board attention. Just placing a note on the village door, does not ensure everyone gets informed.) This month they held a Hearing and the Board meeting, and it took all of 35 minutes to complete everything.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Nov. 15, 2010 school district meeting
“Bullying Policy” adopted by Elmwood School Board
ELMWOOD, WI - On November 15, 2010 the Elmwood School Board met and adopted a policy to deal with Bullying. This has become a serious problem throughout the United States, leading to teens taking their own lives. The policy will ensure that all complaints are investigated immediately, and the parents of the victim(s) and the accused are contacted prior to the conclusion of the investigation. All documented information will be kept confidential to the extent required by law. An annual summary report will be prepared and presented to the school board, to help understand the trends of bullying and recommendations on how to deal with the problem better. The annual report will be available to the public.
(NOTE....the one thing I believe needs to be added is...how will they deal with adults being the accused...I know from personal experience that there are adults at the school that this very much includes..this should be addressed in the policy.)
In Administrative Reports, Principal Alwin spoke to the board first with her news. The Student Council will be having their annual food drive this week, with the attempt to get 1 ton worth of donations. The FFA will begin their sale of fruit and cheese also. The Haunted House was a total success with five boxes of food being donated to the food shelf and ninety nine dollars in cash. The Fall sports banquet was held last week with a spaghetti dinner. This was fully paid for by “free will donation”. Their were plenty of All Conference Athletes this fall. One in Volleyball, with two more as honorable mentions, nine in football, with three more honorable mentions. Alwin reported that a parent from the Baldwin area came in and gave a presentation on the risks of inattentive driving. He lost his daughter recently to an accident and is sharing the story now. The presentation information can be found at www.lifewins.net. Another program that started recently in the school, is the “Great American Mail Race”. This is a middle school program with Sue Thompson, to practice letter writing with other schools across the country. Heather Sand and her Special Ed class are planning a field trip to help serve meals prior to the holidays as well.
Superintendent Paul Blanford then began his report with informing the board of the Reading workshop held in Spring Valley to assist the K5 teachers. The Elementary WKCE testing was completed last week also. Blanford then spoke quickly about the fair funding proposal by Tony Evers, and a meeting that will be held in Eau Claire on the subject. The gym floor repair was discussed then, with hopes that everything will be completed this week. The sub-floor was getting destroyed by water that was getting under it. There was no insurance coverage for the problem, so the cost will come out of the schools funds. The floor will be ready for use by the December 2, 2010 game scheduled. “The roof over the elementary area is still leaking” Blanford added. The recent wet snow is not draining well off the flat roof, and the talks of getting the roof repair is now becoming a bigger priority. Blanford finished his report with a reminder of the WASB Annual Convention beginning on January 19-21, 2011.
In Action items, the board opened the sealed bid for the full size bus they had for sale. Mike Buckman of Illinois was the only person to put in a bid. The board accepted the bid of twelve hundred and fifty one dollars. The scrap value for the bus was twelve hundred. Short term borrowing was also approved to assist with any upcoming needs. Blanford and the board then discussed a position that needs to be filled to keep in good standings with the special ed classes. There is currently a need to hire another part time special ed teacher at this time to make sure the kids are receiving the help they require. The school has thirty students that are in need of assistance, with one full time teacher and a part time teacher. They really need to have two full time teachers to cover the students needs. The board approved the request. The board then went into adopting some policy revisions. First on the list was the bullying policy, then a policy revision on the Personnel Evaluations. The Board of Education Committee and Selection policies also had revisions approved The board then went into Executive Session.
The following was found on-line at the Pierce County Herald...some of this information was stated at the board meeting, but some of it seems to go deeper...the timeline for the roof repair was never stated....the cost was never stated either..
ELMWOOD - The Red Zone Gym floor at the School District of Elmwood suffered water damage due to heavy rains experienced in August.
On the evening of Aug. 10, over five inches of rain fell in the Elmwood area.
According to Superintendent Paul Blanford, “The unusually heavy rain that we received on Aug. 10 was likely what caused the water damage to the gym floor.
"On the morning of Aug. 11, it was discovered that we had a puddle of water on the southeast corner of the gym floor. The water was cleaned up right away with no apparent damage caused. That same day, the roof was examined for leaks; however, no leaks or damage to the roof from the storm could be found. Later in September, it was discovered that two areas on the south end of the gym showed cupping of the wood in the floor. Again, the roof was examined to look for possible leaks, as we had a number of additional rainfalls in September. Again, nothing could be found. In mid-October, two ‘humps’ in the floor appeared near the southeast corner of the gym. Again, the roof was examined. This time, a leak was found in a seam near the skylight in the southeast corner.”
What was the cause of the leak?
“Through an investigative process, it has been determined that the leak in the roof was not caused by wind or hail. The roof itself is over 12-years-old and the warranty on it was for 10 years; the roof has outlasted its warranty. The breach in the seam is apparently a result of aging.”
Blanford reported that, on Nov. 8, Stalker Flooring began repairing the damaged gym floor areas. Once the damaged floor area was removed, it was evident that much of the water damage was caused from water entering under the floor from the exit doors rather from a leak in the roof.
Blanford stated, “When the flooring was taken up on Monday, it was revealed that water damage occurred at the exit doors. It appears that water has been coming in under the doors for quite some time, likely a small amount each time we got a heavy rain. Without going into a lot of detail, the way the concrete met up with the outside of the door, it was letting water enter into the building under the threshold. Unfortunately, when this happened, the water went under the floor where it could not be seen. The cost of the repair to the floor is about $31,500. In addition to the floor, we are fixing the issue with the doors and will be replacing the gym roof within the next year.”
Blanford added that the gym will not be useable until about the first week in December, when Elmwood has its first home basketball games. Until then, basketball practices will need to be conducted in the older Lien Gym.
ELMWOOD, WI - On November 15, 2010 the Elmwood School Board met and adopted a policy to deal with Bullying. This has become a serious problem throughout the United States, leading to teens taking their own lives. The policy will ensure that all complaints are investigated immediately, and the parents of the victim(s) and the accused are contacted prior to the conclusion of the investigation. All documented information will be kept confidential to the extent required by law. An annual summary report will be prepared and presented to the school board, to help understand the trends of bullying and recommendations on how to deal with the problem better. The annual report will be available to the public.
(NOTE....the one thing I believe needs to be added is...how will they deal with adults being the accused...I know from personal experience that there are adults at the school that this very much includes..this should be addressed in the policy.)
In Administrative Reports, Principal Alwin spoke to the board first with her news. The Student Council will be having their annual food drive this week, with the attempt to get 1 ton worth of donations. The FFA will begin their sale of fruit and cheese also. The Haunted House was a total success with five boxes of food being donated to the food shelf and ninety nine dollars in cash. The Fall sports banquet was held last week with a spaghetti dinner. This was fully paid for by “free will donation”. Their were plenty of All Conference Athletes this fall. One in Volleyball, with two more as honorable mentions, nine in football, with three more honorable mentions. Alwin reported that a parent from the Baldwin area came in and gave a presentation on the risks of inattentive driving. He lost his daughter recently to an accident and is sharing the story now. The presentation information can be found at www.lifewins.net. Another program that started recently in the school, is the “Great American Mail Race”. This is a middle school program with Sue Thompson, to practice letter writing with other schools across the country. Heather Sand and her Special Ed class are planning a field trip to help serve meals prior to the holidays as well.
Superintendent Paul Blanford then began his report with informing the board of the Reading workshop held in Spring Valley to assist the K5 teachers. The Elementary WKCE testing was completed last week also. Blanford then spoke quickly about the fair funding proposal by Tony Evers, and a meeting that will be held in Eau Claire on the subject. The gym floor repair was discussed then, with hopes that everything will be completed this week. The sub-floor was getting destroyed by water that was getting under it. There was no insurance coverage for the problem, so the cost will come out of the schools funds. The floor will be ready for use by the December 2, 2010 game scheduled. “The roof over the elementary area is still leaking” Blanford added. The recent wet snow is not draining well off the flat roof, and the talks of getting the roof repair is now becoming a bigger priority. Blanford finished his report with a reminder of the WASB Annual Convention beginning on January 19-21, 2011.
In Action items, the board opened the sealed bid for the full size bus they had for sale. Mike Buckman of Illinois was the only person to put in a bid. The board accepted the bid of twelve hundred and fifty one dollars. The scrap value for the bus was twelve hundred. Short term borrowing was also approved to assist with any upcoming needs. Blanford and the board then discussed a position that needs to be filled to keep in good standings with the special ed classes. There is currently a need to hire another part time special ed teacher at this time to make sure the kids are receiving the help they require. The school has thirty students that are in need of assistance, with one full time teacher and a part time teacher. They really need to have two full time teachers to cover the students needs. The board approved the request. The board then went into adopting some policy revisions. First on the list was the bullying policy, then a policy revision on the Personnel Evaluations. The Board of Education Committee and Selection policies also had revisions approved The board then went into Executive Session.
The following was found on-line at the Pierce County Herald...some of this information was stated at the board meeting, but some of it seems to go deeper...the timeline for the roof repair was never stated....the cost was never stated either..
ELMWOOD - The Red Zone Gym floor at the School District of Elmwood suffered water damage due to heavy rains experienced in August.
On the evening of Aug. 10, over five inches of rain fell in the Elmwood area.
According to Superintendent Paul Blanford, “The unusually heavy rain that we received on Aug. 10 was likely what caused the water damage to the gym floor.
"On the morning of Aug. 11, it was discovered that we had a puddle of water on the southeast corner of the gym floor. The water was cleaned up right away with no apparent damage caused. That same day, the roof was examined for leaks; however, no leaks or damage to the roof from the storm could be found. Later in September, it was discovered that two areas on the south end of the gym showed cupping of the wood in the floor. Again, the roof was examined to look for possible leaks, as we had a number of additional rainfalls in September. Again, nothing could be found. In mid-October, two ‘humps’ in the floor appeared near the southeast corner of the gym. Again, the roof was examined. This time, a leak was found in a seam near the skylight in the southeast corner.”
What was the cause of the leak?
“Through an investigative process, it has been determined that the leak in the roof was not caused by wind or hail. The roof itself is over 12-years-old and the warranty on it was for 10 years; the roof has outlasted its warranty. The breach in the seam is apparently a result of aging.”
Blanford reported that, on Nov. 8, Stalker Flooring began repairing the damaged gym floor areas. Once the damaged floor area was removed, it was evident that much of the water damage was caused from water entering under the floor from the exit doors rather from a leak in the roof.
Blanford stated, “When the flooring was taken up on Monday, it was revealed that water damage occurred at the exit doors. It appears that water has been coming in under the doors for quite some time, likely a small amount each time we got a heavy rain. Without going into a lot of detail, the way the concrete met up with the outside of the door, it was letting water enter into the building under the threshold. Unfortunately, when this happened, the water went under the floor where it could not be seen. The cost of the repair to the floor is about $31,500. In addition to the floor, we are fixing the issue with the doors and will be replacing the gym roof within the next year.”
Blanford added that the gym will not be useable until about the first week in December, when Elmwood has its first home basketball games. Until then, basketball practices will need to be conducted in the older Lien Gym.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Nov. 2010 Elmwood Board Meeting
50% Turnout for November Election in Elmwood
ELMWOOD, WI - November 8, 2010 the Elmwood Village Board met for their monthly meeting. The numbers for the November 2, 2010 Election were tallied up, with 251 voters out of 501 registered showed up at the village hall to vote. All the Overseas and Military ballots , as well 18 Absentee ballots were received.
Prior to the regular board meeting, there was a Public Hearing held to Amend the Land Division/Subdivision Code. Plan Committee Head Bruce Hartung spoke to the board, stating the committee had recommended the changes to the code. The hearing was held open for four minutes, then closed after a unanimous decision to accept the changes.
During Public Input, the Elmwood Officer told the board and attendees that the seasonal parking has went into effect as of November 1, 2010. There is no parking allowed on streets within the village from 3-6 am from November 1 thru March 31, 2011. Trustee Hartung then spoke about the repairs done by Butternut Park and Main Street, saying “everything looks good.”
One Operators License was approved for the Longbranch, and the December Board Meeting was changed from December 13, 2010 to December 6, 2010, to approve the 2011 Budget. “We will have a Committee meeting tomorrow night at 6 pm to go through some final adjustments and vote on a few items” added Hartung.
The Committee and Board Reports then followed, with Trustee Knops giving the Nursing Home report first. On October 12, 2010 the board met and approved the remodeling of a Tub Room. “We have approved an architect to create some detailed drawings and bids for us” she stated. Other items approved were room dividers to give them 16 rooms instead of 14, as well as a fireplace and Beauty shop. There will be a total remodel of the Therapy Room with all the costs being between $50-54,000.00.
The Library Committee information was provided by Trustee Weix. He gave the members the numbers for the past month, stating there were 15 people in attendance for the Author visit, and a average of 42 people per day throughout the month. They had 1575 checkouts, and the Pumpkin Decorating. The committee also approved the roof repairs for next summer with the bid being $4,368.00, the committee approved $5,500.00.
Trustee Hartung then added, the Finance committee will have the Tax statements out prior to Christmas.
ELMWOOD, WI - November 8, 2010 the Elmwood Village Board met for their monthly meeting. The numbers for the November 2, 2010 Election were tallied up, with 251 voters out of 501 registered showed up at the village hall to vote. All the Overseas and Military ballots , as well 18 Absentee ballots were received.
Prior to the regular board meeting, there was a Public Hearing held to Amend the Land Division/Subdivision Code. Plan Committee Head Bruce Hartung spoke to the board, stating the committee had recommended the changes to the code. The hearing was held open for four minutes, then closed after a unanimous decision to accept the changes.
During Public Input, the Elmwood Officer told the board and attendees that the seasonal parking has went into effect as of November 1, 2010. There is no parking allowed on streets within the village from 3-6 am from November 1 thru March 31, 2011. Trustee Hartung then spoke about the repairs done by Butternut Park and Main Street, saying “everything looks good.”
One Operators License was approved for the Longbranch, and the December Board Meeting was changed from December 13, 2010 to December 6, 2010, to approve the 2011 Budget. “We will have a Committee meeting tomorrow night at 6 pm to go through some final adjustments and vote on a few items” added Hartung.
The Committee and Board Reports then followed, with Trustee Knops giving the Nursing Home report first. On October 12, 2010 the board met and approved the remodeling of a Tub Room. “We have approved an architect to create some detailed drawings and bids for us” she stated. Other items approved were room dividers to give them 16 rooms instead of 14, as well as a fireplace and Beauty shop. There will be a total remodel of the Therapy Room with all the costs being between $50-54,000.00.
The Library Committee information was provided by Trustee Weix. He gave the members the numbers for the past month, stating there were 15 people in attendance for the Author visit, and a average of 42 people per day throughout the month. They had 1575 checkouts, and the Pumpkin Decorating. The committee also approved the roof repairs for next summer with the bid being $4,368.00, the committee approved $5,500.00.
Trustee Hartung then added, the Finance committee will have the Tax statements out prior to Christmas.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Pierce County Sheriff's Election
Pierce County Sheriff Election
I have had the experience of meeting one of the current candidate's for Pierce County Sheriff, and I must say It was refreshing to hear a person talk about the real activities of the Sheriff Dept that need changing ASAP. Candidate Oake C. Gregory came to my home to visit me, and speak about the needs of the Sheriff's Dept. He currently has been running a simple campaign without any outside monies. He is a resident of Plum City, and is 36 years of age. His beliefs are Constitutional, and he is very down to earth in his speaking. He explained to me how he has tried to get communications with fellow candidates, just be be ignored. He has sent several letters to Sheriff Hove that have never been answered. He even went to the extent to send these letters by certified mail, after having them notarized. Mr. Gregory told me of many cases where he has been a victim of crime, as well as the neglect he has seen by the Sheriff's Dept. He believes in hard work, helping people live better lives, and making our elected officials honor their oath to office. Gregory states some of his concerns for the County would include our natural resources, protecting our waterways from pollution. He also states he would donate 30% of his income as sheriff back to the county for a program to assist at risk teens, to help improve their lives and reduce future crime. "I want to make Pierce County the safest and best county to live in" claims Gregory. to learn more about Candidate for Sheriff Oake C. Gregory you can search for him on Facebook, or you can find his website at www.sheriffoake.com. You can also contact him by phone at (715) 307-0135. On his campaign flyers it reads, No matter who you vote for, VOTE and please get involved in the county and municipal process. Go to your county and municipal board meetings- make your voice heard and help to KEEP THEM HONEST.. One last notable comment on the flyer is, "Use a paper ballot so you know your vote is counted"
With my families personnal experience with the Pierce County Sheriffs Dept., I would recommend Mr. Gregory for the position to get change that is needed badly. The citizens equal treatment is a priority that seems to be lost, and I believe the current Sheriff has ignored this aspect long enough.
So on NOVEMBER 2nd, get out and vote, Your Vote does Count....
Respectfully,
Rick A. Talford
I have had the experience of meeting one of the current candidate's for Pierce County Sheriff, and I must say It was refreshing to hear a person talk about the real activities of the Sheriff Dept that need changing ASAP. Candidate Oake C. Gregory came to my home to visit me, and speak about the needs of the Sheriff's Dept. He currently has been running a simple campaign without any outside monies. He is a resident of Plum City, and is 36 years of age. His beliefs are Constitutional, and he is very down to earth in his speaking. He explained to me how he has tried to get communications with fellow candidates, just be be ignored. He has sent several letters to Sheriff Hove that have never been answered. He even went to the extent to send these letters by certified mail, after having them notarized. Mr. Gregory told me of many cases where he has been a victim of crime, as well as the neglect he has seen by the Sheriff's Dept. He believes in hard work, helping people live better lives, and making our elected officials honor their oath to office. Gregory states some of his concerns for the County would include our natural resources, protecting our waterways from pollution. He also states he would donate 30% of his income as sheriff back to the county for a program to assist at risk teens, to help improve their lives and reduce future crime. "I want to make Pierce County the safest and best county to live in" claims Gregory. to learn more about Candidate for Sheriff Oake C. Gregory you can search for him on Facebook, or you can find his website at www.sheriffoake.com. You can also contact him by phone at (715) 307-0135. On his campaign flyers it reads, No matter who you vote for, VOTE and please get involved in the county and municipal process. Go to your county and municipal board meetings- make your voice heard and help to KEEP THEM HONEST.. One last notable comment on the flyer is, "Use a paper ballot so you know your vote is counted"
With my families personnal experience with the Pierce County Sheriffs Dept., I would recommend Mr. Gregory for the position to get change that is needed badly. The citizens equal treatment is a priority that seems to be lost, and I believe the current Sheriff has ignored this aspect long enough.
So on NOVEMBER 2nd, get out and vote, Your Vote does Count....
Respectfully,
Rick A. Talford
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
October 2010 School Board Meeting
Skylert Notification System approved for Elmwood School District
Submitted by citizen journalist Rick A. Talford
ELMWOOD, WI - October 18, 2010 the Elmwood School District Board Meeting was held.
During public input, I (Rick Talford) spoke to the board on a recent sighting of wild animals within the village limits. Just a few days prior to the meeting, it was written up on the Pierce County Herald website that a cougar and her cub were seen crossing County Road P, into Butternut Park. A second sighting of the cub was reported near a apartment building on the south side of town. I felt the board should know of this sighting to keep the staff aware, and informed of the wild animals coming into the village. The need for the staff to keep an eye open for these animals while children are outside at play, was my largest concern. No action was taken by the board.
The Administrative Report followed, with Principal Jennifer Alwin speaking to the board first. Alwin discussed the fall sports wrapping up. The last home football game is scheduled for this Thursday, with it also being “Parents Night.” The last home Volleyball game was held, with everyone wearing pink for “Breast Cancer Awareness.” The Cross Country team is preparing for Conference, Regional, and Sectional competition in the upcoming weeks. And the Dance Team will be sending Jessica Bechel and Ashley Osteen to a All Star Dance performance in Florida on Nov. 1st. The FCCLA Haunted House will be on Oct. 29th, and they will be collecting food donations to provide the local food pantry. Alwin then explained how well the recent Parent-Teacher conferences went. A total of 48 families attended over a four hour period. “We also have a Student Teacher for the semester”, Alwin added. Lisa Hulburt, from Rock Falls area is helping Mrs. Sand in the Special Ed classroom. Completing her report, she stated the school will be having a Veterans Day Program, and a Fall Sports Banquet. Scheduling the banquet has not yet been determined.
Superintendent Paul Blanford then spoke to the board. There will be a workshop for the teachers K-5 at Spring Valley School upcoming, and the teachers will each spend a half day. The PTO book sale went very well over a ten day period. The Parent -Teacher Conferences had a 90% attendance for the Elementary students, with many grades having a perfect 100% attendance. The September K-8 Map testing was completed. There will be another period of testing in May to check the students’ growth. The students with low scores on the first test will be given a winter test to help bring them along with their peers. On Nov. 9th there will be a web based program for the K-8 teachers called “Compass Learning.” As of Friday, the superintendent report was completed with all the calculations. Oct. 12th was the Regional Meeting, with Superintendent Blanford, Paul Peterson and Bernard Christman attending. The October PAC meeting was held, with the hot topic being Technologies. “We are well ahead of other schools in this area”, added Blanford. Finishing up, Blanford told the board the Dunn-St. Croix meeting was held last week, and all the negotiations with the teachers are agreed upon. Rick Garfield has also provided information that a 97’ Ford bus is ready to sell. The School plans on taking bids for this sale.
In Action Items, The Skylert Notification System for student management was approved for purchase. The cost for the system will be $1,300.00 for the Module and $973.00 annual service fee. The Module is a one time cost. Hopefully, this will be up and running within six weeks. The system will be used to notify parents, students and staff of school closings and other needs the school may find useful. The module can call the entire district within just minutes, saving the office staff a lot of time. The 2010-11 tax levy was approved at 4.2% as discussed last month. The board also approved the repair of the current Intercom System. A Technician came to the school and found the system to be in need of repairs, due to a possible lightning strike in August. This may be covered by insurance if lightning is found to be the reason for the repairs. A deductible of $1,000.00 would be the cost. If the damage is from age, then it could cost up to $7,000.00 to replace the components needed. Finishing the action items, the board accepted the resignation of Dick Jones as the Assistant High School Basketball Coach, and approved Samuel Sujecki as his replacement. Sujecki is a current student at Stout.
In the Information Items, the Board Committee Updates were discussed. Evaluations for Staff, Student Allowances for competition, and a Special Board Meeting to be held after the fourth Monday of April to reorganize the board, will all be action items. The “Bullying Policy” will also be included. Superintendent Blanford told the members of the board that he has reviewed a DPI model policy that most of the school districts are going to use. There may be minor changes the board may want to make to enhance the policy to specific needs of the district. This policy will be used to ensure the investigations of bullying and harassment claims. “It has not been a major problem, but I have noticed it is a weekly problem that comes to my attention”, Blanford concluded.
Submitted by citizen journalist Rick A. Talford
ELMWOOD, WI - October 18, 2010 the Elmwood School District Board Meeting was held.
During public input, I (Rick Talford) spoke to the board on a recent sighting of wild animals within the village limits. Just a few days prior to the meeting, it was written up on the Pierce County Herald website that a cougar and her cub were seen crossing County Road P, into Butternut Park. A second sighting of the cub was reported near a apartment building on the south side of town. I felt the board should know of this sighting to keep the staff aware, and informed of the wild animals coming into the village. The need for the staff to keep an eye open for these animals while children are outside at play, was my largest concern. No action was taken by the board.
The Administrative Report followed, with Principal Jennifer Alwin speaking to the board first. Alwin discussed the fall sports wrapping up. The last home football game is scheduled for this Thursday, with it also being “Parents Night.” The last home Volleyball game was held, with everyone wearing pink for “Breast Cancer Awareness.” The Cross Country team is preparing for Conference, Regional, and Sectional competition in the upcoming weeks. And the Dance Team will be sending Jessica Bechel and Ashley Osteen to a All Star Dance performance in Florida on Nov. 1st. The FCCLA Haunted House will be on Oct. 29th, and they will be collecting food donations to provide the local food pantry. Alwin then explained how well the recent Parent-Teacher conferences went. A total of 48 families attended over a four hour period. “We also have a Student Teacher for the semester”, Alwin added. Lisa Hulburt, from Rock Falls area is helping Mrs. Sand in the Special Ed classroom. Completing her report, she stated the school will be having a Veterans Day Program, and a Fall Sports Banquet. Scheduling the banquet has not yet been determined.
Superintendent Paul Blanford then spoke to the board. There will be a workshop for the teachers K-5 at Spring Valley School upcoming, and the teachers will each spend a half day. The PTO book sale went very well over a ten day period. The Parent -Teacher Conferences had a 90% attendance for the Elementary students, with many grades having a perfect 100% attendance. The September K-8 Map testing was completed. There will be another period of testing in May to check the students’ growth. The students with low scores on the first test will be given a winter test to help bring them along with their peers. On Nov. 9th there will be a web based program for the K-8 teachers called “Compass Learning.” As of Friday, the superintendent report was completed with all the calculations. Oct. 12th was the Regional Meeting, with Superintendent Blanford, Paul Peterson and Bernard Christman attending. The October PAC meeting was held, with the hot topic being Technologies. “We are well ahead of other schools in this area”, added Blanford. Finishing up, Blanford told the board the Dunn-St. Croix meeting was held last week, and all the negotiations with the teachers are agreed upon. Rick Garfield has also provided information that a 97’ Ford bus is ready to sell. The School plans on taking bids for this sale.
In Action Items, The Skylert Notification System for student management was approved for purchase. The cost for the system will be $1,300.00 for the Module and $973.00 annual service fee. The Module is a one time cost. Hopefully, this will be up and running within six weeks. The system will be used to notify parents, students and staff of school closings and other needs the school may find useful. The module can call the entire district within just minutes, saving the office staff a lot of time. The 2010-11 tax levy was approved at 4.2% as discussed last month. The board also approved the repair of the current Intercom System. A Technician came to the school and found the system to be in need of repairs, due to a possible lightning strike in August. This may be covered by insurance if lightning is found to be the reason for the repairs. A deductible of $1,000.00 would be the cost. If the damage is from age, then it could cost up to $7,000.00 to replace the components needed. Finishing the action items, the board accepted the resignation of Dick Jones as the Assistant High School Basketball Coach, and approved Samuel Sujecki as his replacement. Sujecki is a current student at Stout.
In the Information Items, the Board Committee Updates were discussed. Evaluations for Staff, Student Allowances for competition, and a Special Board Meeting to be held after the fourth Monday of April to reorganize the board, will all be action items. The “Bullying Policy” will also be included. Superintendent Blanford told the members of the board that he has reviewed a DPI model policy that most of the school districts are going to use. There may be minor changes the board may want to make to enhance the policy to specific needs of the district. This policy will be used to ensure the investigations of bullying and harassment claims. “It has not been a major problem, but I have noticed it is a weekly problem that comes to my attention”, Blanford concluded.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Oct.2010 Elmwood Village Board Meeting
Elmwood Crosswalk Projects Discussed
Submitted by citizen journalist Rick A. Talford
ELMWOOD, WI- October 11th, 2010 The Elmwood Village Board had their monthly meeting. The board approved one operators license for the Sandbar.
Approving the Elmwood Crosswalk Project was next on the agenda, with a short discussion on how they had just received the states’ approval today for the project. There will be a crosswalk put in by the new post office. The Committee met last Monday to put together the plans. The board approved the work to be done by Josh Shafer at the cost of $2,000.00. There will be an additional $500.00 for two rumble pads to be placed in the crosswalks also. These pads are made of steel, and are a new requirement by the state for all new crosswalks. It is understood that these pads are used to help the blind know that they are at a crosswalk.
The 2011 Proposed Budget was then discussed. Trustee Bruce Hartung spoke to the board, stating that any information needed for the budget was now being asked for, to get ready for the budget talks coming up. Trustee Bob Weix then told the board of the work at the Library that was getting prepared for next summer. The roof needs to be repaired, and the committee is wondering if the village work employees, Jamie and Josh could assist Pat Bechel with the work. A Rapid Roof repair is expected to be done, with a mesh being placed on the roof, then a spray rubber will be applied. Hartung then added the expected insurance rate increase would be near 15%, with 5 village employees being included in the plan, and two employees declining the coverage. Seven different companies are being looked into. “The Assessment for the village was just completed, and those numbers are still being compiled for us,” added Hartung. Village President Bill Stewart then added, “We can’t do anything with the budget until we get all these numbers together.” There will be additional meetings for the budget in the near future, with the public hearing being held in December most likely.
The Committee and Board Report then followed. Hartung explained to the board that the Street Committee information was already provided, and the storm water project also was discussed. There is a small area still holding water near the handicap ramp. This will require Josh Shafer to be contacted to look at it for repair, before payment is made. Trustee Patricia Knops then gave a quick report for the Nursing Home Committee. She stated the committee had not met during July and August, but met in September and paid bills. She also said the committee will meet tomorrow evening to vote on a possible remodeling project. This project will add Therapy space at a cost of near $90,000.00. “There may be adjustments made yet, and I will bring more information to the board next month.” Stewart then brought up the need for new “Welcome Signs” at two main entry areas of town. Trustee Neil Boltic then told the board of a new style sign made of high density urethane. This will replace the redwood signs at a cost much lower. This is a foam style sign, that will not rot. You can also paint the signs easily with exterior paint. The cost of these would be close to $3,500.00 for two of them. Stewart then stated the need for bids on the project. He asked Boltic to put together some numbers for the board, being Boltic is involved in that field of employment. Bob Weix then gave a little more information on the Library Committee, stating they will have a book author Mary Logue at the library on October 16th. The Library is also involved in a decorating contest , October 27th through 29th. There will be a program “Christmas at the Library” on December 7th. Weix then explained how Jayne Garaets, the librarian would like to start having open hours on Saturday again. This will create another 90 hrs/year , and an additional $1,260.00 in wages.
Stewart then finished up with some information he received concerning the need to replace signs within the community, due to changes being made by the DOT. There will be a change by the DOT, enforcing the changing of stop signs and others as well. These changes will need to be done by 2015. The signs will be larger and reflective. There will be a big increase in costs to communities for these signs to be replaced and updated. “Most of the signs we have right now, will be obsolete. It would be in the best interest for the village to start putting money away through the budget for the next two to three years to be ready and compliant,” stated Stewart. Boltic then stated the need for maintenance of these signs, adding the signs will need work every five to seven years.
You can go to the website to get more information on this upcoming change at www.fhwa.dot.gov/retro
Submitted by citizen journalist Rick A. Talford
ELMWOOD, WI- October 11th, 2010 The Elmwood Village Board had their monthly meeting. The board approved one operators license for the Sandbar.
Approving the Elmwood Crosswalk Project was next on the agenda, with a short discussion on how they had just received the states’ approval today for the project. There will be a crosswalk put in by the new post office. The Committee met last Monday to put together the plans. The board approved the work to be done by Josh Shafer at the cost of $2,000.00. There will be an additional $500.00 for two rumble pads to be placed in the crosswalks also. These pads are made of steel, and are a new requirement by the state for all new crosswalks. It is understood that these pads are used to help the blind know that they are at a crosswalk.
The 2011 Proposed Budget was then discussed. Trustee Bruce Hartung spoke to the board, stating that any information needed for the budget was now being asked for, to get ready for the budget talks coming up. Trustee Bob Weix then told the board of the work at the Library that was getting prepared for next summer. The roof needs to be repaired, and the committee is wondering if the village work employees, Jamie and Josh could assist Pat Bechel with the work. A Rapid Roof repair is expected to be done, with a mesh being placed on the roof, then a spray rubber will be applied. Hartung then added the expected insurance rate increase would be near 15%, with 5 village employees being included in the plan, and two employees declining the coverage. Seven different companies are being looked into. “The Assessment for the village was just completed, and those numbers are still being compiled for us,” added Hartung. Village President Bill Stewart then added, “We can’t do anything with the budget until we get all these numbers together.” There will be additional meetings for the budget in the near future, with the public hearing being held in December most likely.
The Committee and Board Report then followed. Hartung explained to the board that the Street Committee information was already provided, and the storm water project also was discussed. There is a small area still holding water near the handicap ramp. This will require Josh Shafer to be contacted to look at it for repair, before payment is made. Trustee Patricia Knops then gave a quick report for the Nursing Home Committee. She stated the committee had not met during July and August, but met in September and paid bills. She also said the committee will meet tomorrow evening to vote on a possible remodeling project. This project will add Therapy space at a cost of near $90,000.00. “There may be adjustments made yet, and I will bring more information to the board next month.” Stewart then brought up the need for new “Welcome Signs” at two main entry areas of town. Trustee Neil Boltic then told the board of a new style sign made of high density urethane. This will replace the redwood signs at a cost much lower. This is a foam style sign, that will not rot. You can also paint the signs easily with exterior paint. The cost of these would be close to $3,500.00 for two of them. Stewart then stated the need for bids on the project. He asked Boltic to put together some numbers for the board, being Boltic is involved in that field of employment. Bob Weix then gave a little more information on the Library Committee, stating they will have a book author Mary Logue at the library on October 16th. The Library is also involved in a decorating contest , October 27th through 29th. There will be a program “Christmas at the Library” on December 7th. Weix then explained how Jayne Garaets, the librarian would like to start having open hours on Saturday again. This will create another 90 hrs/year , and an additional $1,260.00 in wages.
Stewart then finished up with some information he received concerning the need to replace signs within the community, due to changes being made by the DOT. There will be a change by the DOT, enforcing the changing of stop signs and others as well. These changes will need to be done by 2015. The signs will be larger and reflective. There will be a big increase in costs to communities for these signs to be replaced and updated. “Most of the signs we have right now, will be obsolete. It would be in the best interest for the village to start putting money away through the budget for the next two to three years to be ready and compliant,” stated Stewart. Boltic then stated the need for maintenance of these signs, adding the signs will need work every five to seven years.
You can go to the website to get more information on this upcoming change at www.fhwa.dot.gov/retro
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sept. 20, 2010 School Board Meeting
Elmwood School Board reviews 2010-11 Budget
Submitted by citizen journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI - Monday, Sept. 20, 2010 the Elmwood School Board met for their monthly meeting. In Public Input, I spoke to the board, to let them know how two of their recent graduates were doing. Brandon Bauer completed and graduated from Basic Combat Training in North Carolina earlier this month, then went ahead to AIT, and Timothy Talford graduated late last month from training in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Timothy has went onto AIT in Maryland, were he set a new record for their two mile run. He continues to be an active runner, with the hopes of joining the Army running team and trying out for the Olympics.
In the Administrative Report, the board heard from Dave Smith, a member of the Maintenance Dept. at the school. He explained a couple areas they are looking to get repairs done next summer. The asbestos removal in the Elementary area is one of the biggest concerns. There are two rooms approx. 30x30, as well as a 10x20 hallway and a storage area. They received a bid for repair work to be done. This would replace the tile, remove the asbestos, and place carpet in the Kindergarten classroom. The only bid received for the work was close to $15,000.00. This was simply to get an idea of the cost. He then spoke about the Elementary bathrooms that are in need of updating. To do any work, they need to bring the bathrooms up to ADA requirements, and make them handicapped accessible. The work would include replacing all the plumbing, sinks, toilets, and urinals. They would also need to replace the entry doors to the bathrooms with three foot doors. This would then leave the bathrooms fully automated. The cost would be near $40,000.00. Again this was a cost estimate for the future work. Next, Dave told the board of some roof leaking in the new gym. The sky lights and roof drain areas seem to be the problem spots. He explained how the rock would be removed and a vinyl style roofing would be used to replace it. The cost would be near $40,000.00. This would make it the same as the old gym roof, that has a 25 year warranty. There is also a change he would like to make to the lawn mowing service the school receives. He stated the cost is high, and he feels the Maintenance Dept. could keep up with the mowing for much less. He is going to look into this a bit more and return to the board with the information. Concluding his report, he told the board of some repair work being done in the upstairs bathrooms, and the upcoming need for the lights on the football field to get repairs done. Board Member Paul Peterson then told Dave, he felt the grounds keeping in front of the school was needing better attention.
New Principal Jennifer Alwin then gave her first report to the board. She started by explaining her visit to Elk Mound School for the In-Service earlier this month. DR. Rich Allen gave a presentation to everyone on his book “Green light in the classroom”. One of the areas covered was teaching memory skills. She then went on to speaking of the Sept. 7 assembly with the students and Carl “the energizer” Olson who gave three presentations throughout the day. Jennifer then told the board how she requested and received feedback from all the teachers on what their current activities were with the students. “The student handbooks had just been received today, and all the students need to have them signed and returned by Friday. The MAP testing will begin tomorrow, for the next three days,” she added. Finishing up, she gave the numbers for each of the fall sports going on, and stated a few changes to the upcoming Homecoming from Sept. 27 thru Oct. 2. The King and Queen are already known, so they will provide that information next Monday. There will be a Volleyball game on Thursday, without a pep fest. There will be a pep fest for the students during the day Friday, then the parade and watermelon feed. The Community pep fest will be Friday evening. Saturday will be the football game and dance. There will also be dress up days all week. She then Thanked the Board for being hired, and said “she believed she has found a home.” Gabe Weix then questioned the cost of the handbooks, stating he was confused on the needs for them. He was told they cost between three and four dollars, and they are used for the kids to keep track of homework and other activities. Gabe then spoke of his feelings that they are not a worthy cost for the school. He was then told that the athletic code was part of the handbook in which all the students then sign they have read and know the rules. The books get used for many different reasons, all of which are to help the students, as well as a communication tool for parents and teachers.
Superintendent Paul Blanford then began his administrative report. He spoke of a foreign exchange student from Russia, that will be with the school district for the entire year. She is doing well, and has very good English. Paul then went into explaining the changes they have made to the schedule for the Elementary students, providing them with Reading, Math, and Science in the morning for better learning. Their lunch hour has changed from one hour, to forty five minutes. And the day has been extended six minutes to work everything together. This now makes the school compliant with the DPI standards. The playground space has been completed, with the fence being moved so the kids have a grassy area to play. He told the board how “bullying” was a topic covered by Carl Olson in his presentation. He finished by stating the new Special Ed bus is in use already, with the old one being ready for sale.
In Action Items, the board reviewed the 2010-11 Budget. Paul went through a very long explanation of the budget, covering everything very well to the board. The student count for Sept. was 323. Going through all the numbers and using the 16.7 mil rate, the school district will have a tax levy of 4.2%, which is down from 10.7% last year. One of the biggest areas of savings was covered by a Fund 38 pay off. This will save the district $160,000.00 over nine years, in interest alone. There will be a Public Hearing on the Budget next Monday evening at 7 pm. The next area covered was for the Automated Lunch Accounting System Policy. The policy has been reviewed to help the district not have so many delinquent accounts. There will be a 1st notice sent home when the account reaches twenty dollars delinquent. It was agreed that this change should help keep the accounts in good standings. The need to purchase a Route Bus was then discussed. The budget had already set aside $80,000.00 for a new route bus, and Paul has been in touch with a dealer that is willing to give a discount on a 2012 Bluebird. The 59 passenger bus would then be delivered in December, costing the district $78,658.00. The bus has a height of 74”, which will fit into the bus garage. He then explained how they should keep a rotation every two years, to keep the buses in good condition. This would lead to having each bus exchanged after 16 years in service, by the district.
The Information Items were then covered. The Building and Grounds Update had already been provided by Dave Smith earlier in the meeting. Next up, was the Life Track Post Graduate Survey. This was information received by Paul Blanford that he felt could be used as a positive feedback source for the school district. He then ran a presentation program off his computer for everyone to watch. This is a program created to get Graduates follow up after they leave high school. This is intended to provide the district with a sense of accountability, PR relations, and a measure of their effectiveness. The students would provide a survey prior to leaving high school. Then, over five years, they would be contacted another five times to give information back to the district on how they are doing, and how they feel the school helped them in their current situations. Gabe Weix questioned the need for, and the cost of the program. Paul explained the cost for the entire process would be $12.75 per student that is signed up. All the surveys are compiled, with the results and surveys being returned to the district. The response to this was not all that great by half of the board. Finishing up with the information items, the need to get the committees meeting on a regular basis. The Policy Committee needs to get together and provide a “Bullying “ policy for the district. In the past, the committees have only met when needed. Paul feels that they should be meeting regularly to keep everything up to date. The Policy Committee will meet on Oct. 18th at 6 pm. The Support Staff will meet on Oct. 6th at 6 pm. The Board then went into closed session to cover Support Staff Contracts, and Non-Union Contracts.
Note---this article was cut by 600 words for the newspaper edition....you can always come to this site for complete stories....there is a word count maximum for the paper.
Thanks for Coming Here to Read the entire articles....
Rick Talford- Writer and Blog Publisher
Submitted by citizen journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI - Monday, Sept. 20, 2010 the Elmwood School Board met for their monthly meeting. In Public Input, I spoke to the board, to let them know how two of their recent graduates were doing. Brandon Bauer completed and graduated from Basic Combat Training in North Carolina earlier this month, then went ahead to AIT, and Timothy Talford graduated late last month from training in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Timothy has went onto AIT in Maryland, were he set a new record for their two mile run. He continues to be an active runner, with the hopes of joining the Army running team and trying out for the Olympics.
In the Administrative Report, the board heard from Dave Smith, a member of the Maintenance Dept. at the school. He explained a couple areas they are looking to get repairs done next summer. The asbestos removal in the Elementary area is one of the biggest concerns. There are two rooms approx. 30x30, as well as a 10x20 hallway and a storage area. They received a bid for repair work to be done. This would replace the tile, remove the asbestos, and place carpet in the Kindergarten classroom. The only bid received for the work was close to $15,000.00. This was simply to get an idea of the cost. He then spoke about the Elementary bathrooms that are in need of updating. To do any work, they need to bring the bathrooms up to ADA requirements, and make them handicapped accessible. The work would include replacing all the plumbing, sinks, toilets, and urinals. They would also need to replace the entry doors to the bathrooms with three foot doors. This would then leave the bathrooms fully automated. The cost would be near $40,000.00. Again this was a cost estimate for the future work. Next, Dave told the board of some roof leaking in the new gym. The sky lights and roof drain areas seem to be the problem spots. He explained how the rock would be removed and a vinyl style roofing would be used to replace it. The cost would be near $40,000.00. This would make it the same as the old gym roof, that has a 25 year warranty. There is also a change he would like to make to the lawn mowing service the school receives. He stated the cost is high, and he feels the Maintenance Dept. could keep up with the mowing for much less. He is going to look into this a bit more and return to the board with the information. Concluding his report, he told the board of some repair work being done in the upstairs bathrooms, and the upcoming need for the lights on the football field to get repairs done. Board Member Paul Peterson then told Dave, he felt the grounds keeping in front of the school was needing better attention.
New Principal Jennifer Alwin then gave her first report to the board. She started by explaining her visit to Elk Mound School for the In-Service earlier this month. DR. Rich Allen gave a presentation to everyone on his book “Green light in the classroom”. One of the areas covered was teaching memory skills. She then went on to speaking of the Sept. 7 assembly with the students and Carl “the energizer” Olson who gave three presentations throughout the day. Jennifer then told the board how she requested and received feedback from all the teachers on what their current activities were with the students. “The student handbooks had just been received today, and all the students need to have them signed and returned by Friday. The MAP testing will begin tomorrow, for the next three days,” she added. Finishing up, she gave the numbers for each of the fall sports going on, and stated a few changes to the upcoming Homecoming from Sept. 27 thru Oct. 2. The King and Queen are already known, so they will provide that information next Monday. There will be a Volleyball game on Thursday, without a pep fest. There will be a pep fest for the students during the day Friday, then the parade and watermelon feed. The Community pep fest will be Friday evening. Saturday will be the football game and dance. There will also be dress up days all week. She then Thanked the Board for being hired, and said “she believed she has found a home.” Gabe Weix then questioned the cost of the handbooks, stating he was confused on the needs for them. He was told they cost between three and four dollars, and they are used for the kids to keep track of homework and other activities. Gabe then spoke of his feelings that they are not a worthy cost for the school. He was then told that the athletic code was part of the handbook in which all the students then sign they have read and know the rules. The books get used for many different reasons, all of which are to help the students, as well as a communication tool for parents and teachers.
Superintendent Paul Blanford then began his administrative report. He spoke of a foreign exchange student from Russia, that will be with the school district for the entire year. She is doing well, and has very good English. Paul then went into explaining the changes they have made to the schedule for the Elementary students, providing them with Reading, Math, and Science in the morning for better learning. Their lunch hour has changed from one hour, to forty five minutes. And the day has been extended six minutes to work everything together. This now makes the school compliant with the DPI standards. The playground space has been completed, with the fence being moved so the kids have a grassy area to play. He told the board how “bullying” was a topic covered by Carl Olson in his presentation. He finished by stating the new Special Ed bus is in use already, with the old one being ready for sale.
In Action Items, the board reviewed the 2010-11 Budget. Paul went through a very long explanation of the budget, covering everything very well to the board. The student count for Sept. was 323. Going through all the numbers and using the 16.7 mil rate, the school district will have a tax levy of 4.2%, which is down from 10.7% last year. One of the biggest areas of savings was covered by a Fund 38 pay off. This will save the district $160,000.00 over nine years, in interest alone. There will be a Public Hearing on the Budget next Monday evening at 7 pm. The next area covered was for the Automated Lunch Accounting System Policy. The policy has been reviewed to help the district not have so many delinquent accounts. There will be a 1st notice sent home when the account reaches twenty dollars delinquent. It was agreed that this change should help keep the accounts in good standings. The need to purchase a Route Bus was then discussed. The budget had already set aside $80,000.00 for a new route bus, and Paul has been in touch with a dealer that is willing to give a discount on a 2012 Bluebird. The 59 passenger bus would then be delivered in December, costing the district $78,658.00. The bus has a height of 74”, which will fit into the bus garage. He then explained how they should keep a rotation every two years, to keep the buses in good condition. This would lead to having each bus exchanged after 16 years in service, by the district.
The Information Items were then covered. The Building and Grounds Update had already been provided by Dave Smith earlier in the meeting. Next up, was the Life Track Post Graduate Survey. This was information received by Paul Blanford that he felt could be used as a positive feedback source for the school district. He then ran a presentation program off his computer for everyone to watch. This is a program created to get Graduates follow up after they leave high school. This is intended to provide the district with a sense of accountability, PR relations, and a measure of their effectiveness. The students would provide a survey prior to leaving high school. Then, over five years, they would be contacted another five times to give information back to the district on how they are doing, and how they feel the school helped them in their current situations. Gabe Weix questioned the need for, and the cost of the program. Paul explained the cost for the entire process would be $12.75 per student that is signed up. All the surveys are compiled, with the results and surveys being returned to the district. The response to this was not all that great by half of the board. Finishing up with the information items, the need to get the committees meeting on a regular basis. The Policy Committee needs to get together and provide a “Bullying “ policy for the district. In the past, the committees have only met when needed. Paul feels that they should be meeting regularly to keep everything up to date. The Policy Committee will meet on Oct. 18th at 6 pm. The Support Staff will meet on Oct. 6th at 6 pm. The Board then went into closed session to cover Support Staff Contracts, and Non-Union Contracts.
Note---this article was cut by 600 words for the newspaper edition....you can always come to this site for complete stories....there is a word count maximum for the paper.
Thanks for Coming Here to Read the entire articles....
Rick Talford- Writer and Blog Publisher
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Sept. 2010 Elmwood Village Board Meeting
HWY 72 to have a Detour for one week in Downtown Elmwood
Submitted by citizen journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI - Monday, September 13,2010 the Elmwood Village Board approved the closure of HWY 72 in Downtown. There will be a detour for one week, taking traffic away from the Main St. and HWY 72 intersection. This will begin on October 4th. There will be repairs made to the street, as well as to the curb and gutter between Highland Hollow and Rheil’s Funeral Home. This will not affect travel on Main St. It will be closed off, similar to UFO days. In other Public Works information, the board also approved a bid from BS Construction to do the repair work needed in the Weber Addition and Butternut Park. Flooding last Spring caused plenty of damage and the Village received funds from the county to get things repaired. The bid of $21,700.00 was accepted for the repair work. The end date for the project is set for October 15th.
In Public Input, JoAnn Baier spoke to the board on behalf of the children and older citizens of the community in regards to the need of “Yield to Pedestrian” signs at the intersection of Main St. and HWY 72, as well as by the new Post Office location. She stated there are troubles crossing the street in the two locations. Another possible location would be by the old Quinn Motors building. This is a difficult intersection for anything to be done at. Other possible problems would be the fact that there is no sidewalk by the post office for a crosswalk to be put in place. JoAnn requested the board give authorization to the public works employee’s to look into this, adding she would do anything she could to help.
The Board then heard from Lynn Hartung on a ATV Trail Proposal for the village to connect with the trail system being run through the county. She also had Dave, a member of the SV Board and Co. ATV Association along to help explain the process they have went through, up to this point. The proposal is to have the trail enter the village on 110th street, and cross the road to Riverwood Drive, then to Eau Galle Drive, then connecting to the current snowmobile trail that runs through the village. This is the only area they can direct the traffic, due to most of the main roads in Elmwood are Numbered or County Roads. These roads are not allowed to be used for ATV traffic. There are plenty of hurdles for them to get pass for the trail to be allowed, with the private land owners, snowmobile club, village board, and the DNR all having to give the OK. They added, all the signs are provided by the association, with no cost to the village for the trail. Bob Weix of the Village board asked about who polices the trail, and it was answered the County Sheriff Dept. and the Village Officer would. This would be a issue for the Board to send forward to their committee for more discussion.
In other news, the Board appointed Pam Marson to the Zoning Board of Appeals. They approved one operators License for the Sandbar, with the Village Officer approving the application. The Village Clerk then provided information to the Board on a Election Contingency/Emergency Plan. This would be a basic plan in the case of a fire, bad weather, or power failure style emergency. The Election equipment would be moved to a safe location. At this time, they are waiting for a response from the High School Superintendent. The plan is to have everything moved to the HS Gym. She also added that it would be preferred that the Village Officer be on duty during the Election to ensure the safety of everyone. This received approval pending the response by the School Superintendent. Last up was the Committee and Board Reports, with the Public Works Committee already going through their information. The Library Committee information was given by Bob Weix. He stated the Library is planning on putting in a 24x26 cement pad, including a bike rack behind the building. This would include handicapped parking. The Budget is doing well, the circulation was at 1400, and Jamie and Josh from the Village came and repaired the roof for them. In Closing, Village President Stewart Thanked Jamie and Josh for saving thousands of dollars during the last heavy storms by coming in to work early and keeping the possible flooding problems away from the Village.
SAFETY NOTICE…..I would like to add a notice to all readers about a serious threat that I seen posted at the Village Hall. There are individuals using pop bottles to make bombs that can seriously injure you if disturbed. I have included the web site that you can go to and get the full story. Please do take this seriously for the safety of yourself and your family. http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp
Submitted by citizen journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI - Monday, September 13,2010 the Elmwood Village Board approved the closure of HWY 72 in Downtown. There will be a detour for one week, taking traffic away from the Main St. and HWY 72 intersection. This will begin on October 4th. There will be repairs made to the street, as well as to the curb and gutter between Highland Hollow and Rheil’s Funeral Home. This will not affect travel on Main St. It will be closed off, similar to UFO days. In other Public Works information, the board also approved a bid from BS Construction to do the repair work needed in the Weber Addition and Butternut Park. Flooding last Spring caused plenty of damage and the Village received funds from the county to get things repaired. The bid of $21,700.00 was accepted for the repair work. The end date for the project is set for October 15th.
In Public Input, JoAnn Baier spoke to the board on behalf of the children and older citizens of the community in regards to the need of “Yield to Pedestrian” signs at the intersection of Main St. and HWY 72, as well as by the new Post Office location. She stated there are troubles crossing the street in the two locations. Another possible location would be by the old Quinn Motors building. This is a difficult intersection for anything to be done at. Other possible problems would be the fact that there is no sidewalk by the post office for a crosswalk to be put in place. JoAnn requested the board give authorization to the public works employee’s to look into this, adding she would do anything she could to help.
The Board then heard from Lynn Hartung on a ATV Trail Proposal for the village to connect with the trail system being run through the county. She also had Dave, a member of the SV Board and Co. ATV Association along to help explain the process they have went through, up to this point. The proposal is to have the trail enter the village on 110th street, and cross the road to Riverwood Drive, then to Eau Galle Drive, then connecting to the current snowmobile trail that runs through the village. This is the only area they can direct the traffic, due to most of the main roads in Elmwood are Numbered or County Roads. These roads are not allowed to be used for ATV traffic. There are plenty of hurdles for them to get pass for the trail to be allowed, with the private land owners, snowmobile club, village board, and the DNR all having to give the OK. They added, all the signs are provided by the association, with no cost to the village for the trail. Bob Weix of the Village board asked about who polices the trail, and it was answered the County Sheriff Dept. and the Village Officer would. This would be a issue for the Board to send forward to their committee for more discussion.
In other news, the Board appointed Pam Marson to the Zoning Board of Appeals. They approved one operators License for the Sandbar, with the Village Officer approving the application. The Village Clerk then provided information to the Board on a Election Contingency/Emergency Plan. This would be a basic plan in the case of a fire, bad weather, or power failure style emergency. The Election equipment would be moved to a safe location. At this time, they are waiting for a response from the High School Superintendent. The plan is to have everything moved to the HS Gym. She also added that it would be preferred that the Village Officer be on duty during the Election to ensure the safety of everyone. This received approval pending the response by the School Superintendent. Last up was the Committee and Board Reports, with the Public Works Committee already going through their information. The Library Committee information was given by Bob Weix. He stated the Library is planning on putting in a 24x26 cement pad, including a bike rack behind the building. This would include handicapped parking. The Budget is doing well, the circulation was at 1400, and Jamie and Josh from the Village came and repaired the roof for them. In Closing, Village President Stewart Thanked Jamie and Josh for saving thousands of dollars during the last heavy storms by coming in to work early and keeping the possible flooding problems away from the Village.
SAFETY NOTICE…..I would like to add a notice to all readers about a serious threat that I seen posted at the Village Hall. There are individuals using pop bottles to make bombs that can seriously injure you if disturbed. I have included the web site that you can go to and get the full story. Please do take this seriously for the safety of yourself and your family. http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Aug. 2010 School Board Meeting
“Board approves purchase of new Special Ed Bus”
Submitted by Citizen Journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI- The Elmwood School District held their Board Meeting Monday Evening, and discussed a variety of changes coming. The longest discussion took place over the purchase of a new mini bus. The bus has been looked into for some time now, and they have found a couple different options for purchasing a new bus for a cost of near $54,000.00. The bus will be equipped to handle wheel chair riders. The board has a couple options also in how to purchase the bus, with having different funds available to them. The current bus did pass inspection this past week, but has been costing the district in the up keep costs. It was also stated that a trade in value was pretty low, at $1,500.00. The Board then discussed the idea of keeping the bus, and selling it on their own. This would seem to have a better potential to get much more out of the bus.
In the Administrative Report, Mr. Blanford (The New Superintendent) informed the board of a variety of information including a WIAA report on the adopted new season format for Football. The WFBCA has already filed a challenge against this new format, with their concerns. He also told the board that the position for the Boy’s Basketball coach for Middle School is still open. The position for the Middle School Girl’s Volleyball Coach is being filled by Brittany Thompson, a former player for Elmwood. Bev Glaus will also be around to assist Brittany in getting the team up and going. The Fall Athletics have a good number of Students participating with the Football team having 38 students, Volleyball has 17, and the Cross Country team has 7 to start out. In Academics, there will be a staff in-service for Aug. 27th, 30th, and 31st. Mr. Blanford then explained some changes done to the facilities, making them look great. The asbestos has been removed from the High School areas. The old garage has been removed from the HS parking lot. Several blacktop areas have been resurfaced. The Elementary computer lab has been reconfigured. The Elementary playground has received new border and additional woodchip for safety. The weight room received new rubberized floor matting. The gym floors were stripped and resealed, as well as the elementary floors. Blanford then went into the school finances info. He attended a two day WASBO workshop. Covering all aspects of the school finances, including budget development. He was able to network with other school business officials and superintendents, as well as the DPI finance team members. There will be a Annual meeting scheduled for Monday, September 27th. As of right now, the position for MS/HS Principal and Athletic Director currently has 52 applicants to go through the interview process. Finishing up the Administrative report, Blanford explained new timelines being given for records retention. He also told the board to be aware of Social Networking that may lead to Open Records Laws getting involved. “It is important to remember that you are school officials, and what you communicate may become public information if it deals with school business” explained Blanford. There will also be a WASB Fall Regional Meeting held in Menomonie on October 12th, at the Stout Field House beginning with a Dinner at 6:30pm.
Action items included the purchase of the new Special Ed bus, and the Approval of Middle School Volleyball Coach. The Information items included the District Policy Update for the Automated Account System for school meals. There will be a notice mailed out a week prior to school starting, as well as a notice in the Bi-monthly newsletter. The meal allowance was also reviewed and will need pre-approval from the superintendent before those figures are locked in. This may vary for the different functions the students are involved in. Blanford then added that they will need to complete the Bullying Policy, and the WASB has a sample policy to get them started. “We must collaborate with the local EMT’s and Police to better create a safety crisis plan. This must also include the local citizens” Said Blanford. The 2010-2011 Preliminary Budget Projections will also be looked into, but as of now it is believed the numbers will be very close to the same. The exception will be a $200 per pupil increase in received funds. The Building and Grounds information was already reviewed, with Blanford providing one last bit of information in regards to the Health Insurance. During a sit down with the Representative, it was stated there will be a 15% increase , and the deductible will change from $3,000.00 to $3,750.00. A few medications will also be dropped, due to the changing of the medications to over the counter status now.
The Board then went into closed session to discuss Professional/Support Staff Contracts, and the Non-Union Contracts.
Submitted by Citizen Journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI- The Elmwood School District held their Board Meeting Monday Evening, and discussed a variety of changes coming. The longest discussion took place over the purchase of a new mini bus. The bus has been looked into for some time now, and they have found a couple different options for purchasing a new bus for a cost of near $54,000.00. The bus will be equipped to handle wheel chair riders. The board has a couple options also in how to purchase the bus, with having different funds available to them. The current bus did pass inspection this past week, but has been costing the district in the up keep costs. It was also stated that a trade in value was pretty low, at $1,500.00. The Board then discussed the idea of keeping the bus, and selling it on their own. This would seem to have a better potential to get much more out of the bus.
In the Administrative Report, Mr. Blanford (The New Superintendent) informed the board of a variety of information including a WIAA report on the adopted new season format for Football. The WFBCA has already filed a challenge against this new format, with their concerns. He also told the board that the position for the Boy’s Basketball coach for Middle School is still open. The position for the Middle School Girl’s Volleyball Coach is being filled by Brittany Thompson, a former player for Elmwood. Bev Glaus will also be around to assist Brittany in getting the team up and going. The Fall Athletics have a good number of Students participating with the Football team having 38 students, Volleyball has 17, and the Cross Country team has 7 to start out. In Academics, there will be a staff in-service for Aug. 27th, 30th, and 31st. Mr. Blanford then explained some changes done to the facilities, making them look great. The asbestos has been removed from the High School areas. The old garage has been removed from the HS parking lot. Several blacktop areas have been resurfaced. The Elementary computer lab has been reconfigured. The Elementary playground has received new border and additional woodchip for safety. The weight room received new rubberized floor matting. The gym floors were stripped and resealed, as well as the elementary floors. Blanford then went into the school finances info. He attended a two day WASBO workshop. Covering all aspects of the school finances, including budget development. He was able to network with other school business officials and superintendents, as well as the DPI finance team members. There will be a Annual meeting scheduled for Monday, September 27th. As of right now, the position for MS/HS Principal and Athletic Director currently has 52 applicants to go through the interview process. Finishing up the Administrative report, Blanford explained new timelines being given for records retention. He also told the board to be aware of Social Networking that may lead to Open Records Laws getting involved. “It is important to remember that you are school officials, and what you communicate may become public information if it deals with school business” explained Blanford. There will also be a WASB Fall Regional Meeting held in Menomonie on October 12th, at the Stout Field House beginning with a Dinner at 6:30pm.
Action items included the purchase of the new Special Ed bus, and the Approval of Middle School Volleyball Coach. The Information items included the District Policy Update for the Automated Account System for school meals. There will be a notice mailed out a week prior to school starting, as well as a notice in the Bi-monthly newsletter. The meal allowance was also reviewed and will need pre-approval from the superintendent before those figures are locked in. This may vary for the different functions the students are involved in. Blanford then added that they will need to complete the Bullying Policy, and the WASB has a sample policy to get them started. “We must collaborate with the local EMT’s and Police to better create a safety crisis plan. This must also include the local citizens” Said Blanford. The 2010-2011 Preliminary Budget Projections will also be looked into, but as of now it is believed the numbers will be very close to the same. The exception will be a $200 per pupil increase in received funds. The Building and Grounds information was already reviewed, with Blanford providing one last bit of information in regards to the Health Insurance. During a sit down with the Representative, it was stated there will be a 15% increase , and the deductible will change from $3,000.00 to $3,750.00. A few medications will also be dropped, due to the changing of the medications to over the counter status now.
The Board then went into closed session to discuss Professional/Support Staff Contracts, and the Non-Union Contracts.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
EVB Meeting for August 2010
EFD Prepares for 9/11 Annual Fund Raiser
Elmwood, WI- The Village Board met on Monday Evening for their monthly meeting. The Fire Dept. is preparing for their 9/11 Annual Fund Raiser. They will have activities such as kids water fights. They will also have a Chicken Dinner. The Board approved an Operators License for the food and beverage area, as well as closing the street for the activities to be safe. This will be for Woodworth, between Omaha and Groot Ave.
In other news, the Board discussed the Grant Funds they will be receiving from Pierce County for the repairs to be done from last springs flooding problems in Butternut Park and the property owned by Jerry and Joyce Webber. A total amount of $42, 976.34 has been awarded to Elmwood. An additional $4,717.39 will be received from Pierce County for the wages that were paid for the clean up. There will also be a $1,200.00 amount taken from the payment for the cost of a burm that was already put in place to slow the erosion problems caused by the flooding. The remainder of the funds will go towards additional repair to the Park and repairs needed to the Webber Property. The Public Works Committee has started the process in getting bids for the work, and hope to have some to present to the Board at next months meeting.
The Public Works Committee also gave their recommendation for the Main Street Project, stating they have received a bid from Asphalt Maintenance in the amount of $9,636.50 to repair the intersection of Main and HWY 72. They will be replacing the curb and gutter, as well as creating a valley drain. There will be a Public Hearing on August 18th at 6pm. It was also noted the Businesses that will be affected have been notified.
The Board approved Operator’s Licenses for four people. They also approved the Nursing Home Appointments for Deb Feiler and Phil Dzubay to stay on the Board. Resolution 2010-07 Authorizing payment to the Welcome Home (TID5) was also completed.
The Committee and Board reports were few, with the Public Works already being reviewed and the Library met just prior to the Board Meeting. Bob Weix gave a quick statement that the Library had a successful Raffle during UFO Days, selling over $323.00 in tickets. They had book sales of $66.00 as well. The Summer Reading Program had ended, and the Library reported 1500 check-outs in July. He added the Elementary Water Experience was held in the Mini-Park.
On a last note, the Longbranch will be holding a Open House on August 13-14th , and the Board approved a request to extend their liquor license to the adjacent lot without putting up fencing.
The Board Meeting lasted a whole 10 minutes this month..Neil Boltic and Bill Stewart were both absent..
NOTE-- Bob Rupakus was present at the meeting, and spoke out during the meeting several times as though he was still on the board. He tried to solicit Sari Gordon from the Pierce County Herald to come to the Open House and write up a big story for him. (This was stated during the meeting, but I did not place it in the report to the Elmwood Argus) When the Board went to adjourn, he even added his (AYE) with the board members. I guess he feels he is still part of the board, 4 months after his departure.(the board members chuckled about it, but I am positive they would not have if it was someone they did not like doing it)
Elmwood, WI- The Village Board met on Monday Evening for their monthly meeting. The Fire Dept. is preparing for their 9/11 Annual Fund Raiser. They will have activities such as kids water fights. They will also have a Chicken Dinner. The Board approved an Operators License for the food and beverage area, as well as closing the street for the activities to be safe. This will be for Woodworth, between Omaha and Groot Ave.
In other news, the Board discussed the Grant Funds they will be receiving from Pierce County for the repairs to be done from last springs flooding problems in Butternut Park and the property owned by Jerry and Joyce Webber. A total amount of $42, 976.34 has been awarded to Elmwood. An additional $4,717.39 will be received from Pierce County for the wages that were paid for the clean up. There will also be a $1,200.00 amount taken from the payment for the cost of a burm that was already put in place to slow the erosion problems caused by the flooding. The remainder of the funds will go towards additional repair to the Park and repairs needed to the Webber Property. The Public Works Committee has started the process in getting bids for the work, and hope to have some to present to the Board at next months meeting.
The Public Works Committee also gave their recommendation for the Main Street Project, stating they have received a bid from Asphalt Maintenance in the amount of $9,636.50 to repair the intersection of Main and HWY 72. They will be replacing the curb and gutter, as well as creating a valley drain. There will be a Public Hearing on August 18th at 6pm. It was also noted the Businesses that will be affected have been notified.
The Board approved Operator’s Licenses for four people. They also approved the Nursing Home Appointments for Deb Feiler and Phil Dzubay to stay on the Board. Resolution 2010-07 Authorizing payment to the Welcome Home (TID5) was also completed.
The Committee and Board reports were few, with the Public Works already being reviewed and the Library met just prior to the Board Meeting. Bob Weix gave a quick statement that the Library had a successful Raffle during UFO Days, selling over $323.00 in tickets. They had book sales of $66.00 as well. The Summer Reading Program had ended, and the Library reported 1500 check-outs in July. He added the Elementary Water Experience was held in the Mini-Park.
On a last note, the Longbranch will be holding a Open House on August 13-14th , and the Board approved a request to extend their liquor license to the adjacent lot without putting up fencing.
The Board Meeting lasted a whole 10 minutes this month..Neil Boltic and Bill Stewart were both absent..
NOTE-- Bob Rupakus was present at the meeting, and spoke out during the meeting several times as though he was still on the board. He tried to solicit Sari Gordon from the Pierce County Herald to come to the Open House and write up a big story for him. (This was stated during the meeting, but I did not place it in the report to the Elmwood Argus) When the Board went to adjourn, he even added his (AYE) with the board members. I guess he feels he is still part of the board, 4 months after his departure.(the board members chuckled about it, but I am positive they would not have if it was someone they did not like doing it)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Elmwood School Board Meeting - July 2010
School Aid a “Welcome Relief”
Submitted by: Citizen Journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI- The July Board Meeting for the Elmwood School District was held on Monday July 19th at 7 pm in the Boardroom. Prior to the meeting starting, the members of the board discussed the Northstar All Star Football Game held in Oshkosh, WI. The Head Coach for the game was the Elmwood Football Coach, Jerry Hannack, and his Assistant Dick Jones was also selected for the coaching staff. This was going to be recognized by the Board during the meeting, but it slipped by without notice. I believe there will be more discussion during next months meeting.
The Administrative Report was provided to the Board by Principal Paul Blanford. The WASB Aid had been announced to be $96,588.00 for the Elmwood School District. These are funds received from the State Budget for School Aid, to help out the smaller rural schools. The program helps schools with less than 722 students, and have less than 10 students per square mile in the district. These funds are able to be used for any budget areas the school may need. “A Welcome Relief” Stated School Board President , Greg Nelson.
The Action Items were then discussed. The Varsity Assistant Volleyball Coach will be Becky Baier. The Varsity Assistant Coach position for Track will remain open, as Heather Sand did not take the position at this time. That position was tabled for the next meeting. A quick glance at the SAGE program was reviewed without any action needed. The current Director of Special Ed is now being filled by Todd Paavola, the School Psychologists. Todd is also shared with Glenwood City, as a Psychologist.
The Information Items were then reviewed, starting with the Annual Nursing Service of the Year Report. Traci Lien provided a six page analysis of the services provided to students and faculty for the past year. The visits and accidents/illnesses counted for 1,078 logged visits.(excluding diabetic checks or insulin administration) with 622 visits requiring school nurse intervention. 92 of the visits required further documentation with injury/illness reports. 18 reports were completed for illness, and 80 reports were for injuries, which were mostly received during inside recess in the gym, outside recess, or during Phy Ed.
123 students in K-5 participated in the fluoride mouth rinse program offered free through a state grant, rinsing once weekly. The Diabetic Nursing Care reported 1,379 blood sugar checks and 496 insulin administrations for two students that needed daily monitoring. A Variety of screenings were done with 176 Vision tests, 136 Hearing tests, 72 Head Lice checks, 36 Blood pressure checks were done in a “Healthy Living” Class, and 72 Blood pressure tests were conducted on Staff members along with hypertension education and counseling. Immunization Records were reviewed, as well as Staff Training, Classroom Special education, Safety, Social Services, H1N1 and Seasonal Influenza Monitoring, H1N1 Vaccination Clinics, Annual Policy Review, and Goals for the upcoming year completed the outlined information. It was also noted that Jeff Banks of RCMC has been replaced by Ben Rockwell for providing the Defibulator Training. The District Policy Update had two areas to speak over with the Meal Prices being the first. Last month it was decided to raise prices about thirty cents across the board, and this month they made a change to the policy in regards to informing parents earlier when their account have gone negative. Now when the account gets five dollars behind, a letter and phone call both will be made, in order to keep the accounts positive. A Meeting will be scheduled between Parents and School Administration for accounts getting twenty five dollars behind. The second area reviewed was for meal allotments for activities taking students away during meal times. In the past they gave the students three dollars and fifty cents, they are looking into changing this to five dollars for Breakfast, six dollars for Lunch, and nine dollars for Supper. This will be brought up again during next months meeting. Ending the Open Session part of the meeting was the 2010-2011 School Budget Update, with nothing really to report or take action on.
Update......This was posted on the web page for the pierce county herald....
(The three candidates are: Joe Zirngibl, K-12 Principal in Siren, Kyle Luedtke, Middle/High School Principal in Royall and Paul Blanford, Elementary/Middle School Principal and Assistant High School Principal at Elmwood.)
Submitted by: Citizen Journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI- The July Board Meeting for the Elmwood School District was held on Monday July 19th at 7 pm in the Boardroom. Prior to the meeting starting, the members of the board discussed the Northstar All Star Football Game held in Oshkosh, WI. The Head Coach for the game was the Elmwood Football Coach, Jerry Hannack, and his Assistant Dick Jones was also selected for the coaching staff. This was going to be recognized by the Board during the meeting, but it slipped by without notice. I believe there will be more discussion during next months meeting.
The Administrative Report was provided to the Board by Principal Paul Blanford. The WASB Aid had been announced to be $96,588.00 for the Elmwood School District. These are funds received from the State Budget for School Aid, to help out the smaller rural schools. The program helps schools with less than 722 students, and have less than 10 students per square mile in the district. These funds are able to be used for any budget areas the school may need. “A Welcome Relief” Stated School Board President , Greg Nelson.
The Action Items were then discussed. The Varsity Assistant Volleyball Coach will be Becky Baier. The Varsity Assistant Coach position for Track will remain open, as Heather Sand did not take the position at this time. That position was tabled for the next meeting. A quick glance at the SAGE program was reviewed without any action needed. The current Director of Special Ed is now being filled by Todd Paavola, the School Psychologists. Todd is also shared with Glenwood City, as a Psychologist.
The Information Items were then reviewed, starting with the Annual Nursing Service of the Year Report. Traci Lien provided a six page analysis of the services provided to students and faculty for the past year. The visits and accidents/illnesses counted for 1,078 logged visits.(excluding diabetic checks or insulin administration) with 622 visits requiring school nurse intervention. 92 of the visits required further documentation with injury/illness reports. 18 reports were completed for illness, and 80 reports were for injuries, which were mostly received during inside recess in the gym, outside recess, or during Phy Ed.
123 students in K-5 participated in the fluoride mouth rinse program offered free through a state grant, rinsing once weekly. The Diabetic Nursing Care reported 1,379 blood sugar checks and 496 insulin administrations for two students that needed daily monitoring. A Variety of screenings were done with 176 Vision tests, 136 Hearing tests, 72 Head Lice checks, 36 Blood pressure checks were done in a “Healthy Living” Class, and 72 Blood pressure tests were conducted on Staff members along with hypertension education and counseling. Immunization Records were reviewed, as well as Staff Training, Classroom Special education, Safety, Social Services, H1N1 and Seasonal Influenza Monitoring, H1N1 Vaccination Clinics, Annual Policy Review, and Goals for the upcoming year completed the outlined information. It was also noted that Jeff Banks of RCMC has been replaced by Ben Rockwell for providing the Defibulator Training. The District Policy Update had two areas to speak over with the Meal Prices being the first. Last month it was decided to raise prices about thirty cents across the board, and this month they made a change to the policy in regards to informing parents earlier when their account have gone negative. Now when the account gets five dollars behind, a letter and phone call both will be made, in order to keep the accounts positive. A Meeting will be scheduled between Parents and School Administration for accounts getting twenty five dollars behind. The second area reviewed was for meal allotments for activities taking students away during meal times. In the past they gave the students three dollars and fifty cents, they are looking into changing this to five dollars for Breakfast, six dollars for Lunch, and nine dollars for Supper. This will be brought up again during next months meeting. Ending the Open Session part of the meeting was the 2010-2011 School Budget Update, with nothing really to report or take action on.
Update......This was posted on the web page for the pierce county herald....
(The three candidates are: Joe Zirngibl, K-12 Principal in Siren, Kyle Luedtke, Middle/High School Principal in Royall and Paul Blanford, Elementary/Middle School Principal and Assistant High School Principal at Elmwood.)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
EVB Meeting July 2010
Elmwood Prepares for UFO Days
Submitted by Citizen Journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI- The Elmwood Village Board met Monday, July 12th for their monthly meeting, and discussed the upcoming UFO Days celebration coming the last full weekend of July. The Board Lifted the Open Container rules to allow drinking in the streets for the weekend. They also provided Class B Retailers Picnic Licenses for the Community Club, having a Food/Beer Tent in front of the Village Auditorium and also having a Class B License for the Car Show at Butternut Park. Temporary Operators Licenses were also provided for the Community Club for serving the beer. Larry Hofacker was present from the Community Club to speak on the Donation Request for the Fireworks. He explained to the Board that the cost for the fireworks have leveled out this year, after having an eighteen percent increase two years in a row. Village President Bill Stewart then stated that he and the Village Clerk looked into last years amount they donated, and he believed the five hundred dollars they donated would be about the same this year. Bruce Hartung then added that the amount was a budget item already, and made the motion to approve the donation.
In Other News- The Board made another change for the Auditorium Rental Contract, this time the change was made to the Non-Profit Group. Now, anyone that requires the elevator to be turned on, must sign the agreement that was made during last months meeting in regards to any maintenance needed due to abuse of the elevator. Stewart asked when this change was made, and Brian Buck explained they had a Committee meeting just prior to the Board meeting. Brian then gave information on a request by the Enrichment Council to hang a Quilt that was created ten to fifteen years ago with the creation of the council, that has anywhere from two to three hundred names of people within the community in print on it. They would like to get this hung in the Auditorium prior to UFO Days, he added. The Council also have four signs that date back to around the 1920’s that they would also like to be hung in the auditorium after they get framed. These are old local business signs that hung in the community. The Board approved the initial operators licenses for three people, and renewed another operators license for the Longbranch. There were no Committee and Board reports to be heard this month, so the board finished up by approving the bills and adjourning.
After the meeting adjourned a citizen requested to speak to the board, stating he wondered why the Village was not having Verizon Wireless come into the community and placing a antenna on the water tower. This would give the village income for allowing the antenna. Brian Buck and Stewart both responded, by stating that Verizon is on their way out, around the area. Stewart stated the company already came and removed their equipment from the County Sheriff Dept., while Buck stated the company dropped his contract claiming not enough customers in the area. The Citizen then had a complaint about some fireworks being shot off on HWY 72, and Stewart said the County responded to the complaint, due to the Village Officer was not on duty at the time. The Elmwood Officer added “They got spoken to”
NOTE- I also spoke to the Elmwood Officer and requested a copy of the report provided to the board on the Police Dept.’s activities, and he responded by stating they do not do that anymore. He is not the Chief, so he does not make out any reports to the board. I find this a bit troubling. Why is there no reports going to the Board or the Police Committee. The Officer has no protection of his job now, because he cannot prove what he does monthly for his job. I guess, the Village President did not want Elmwood Business to be provided to the Papers, now he has accomplished that. It continues to prove the Board wants information hid. No one is to know about all the Break Ins in the community,(unfortunatly, My Son is accused of being involved with these cases. He has also admitted to being part of them, but he is the only one being charged...No surprise there...) or if there are drunk drivers in the town. The Past is catching up once again in Elmwood. “What happens in Elmwood , Stays in Elmwood”. Citizens have the right to know what the police dept. is doing, and I will be investigating this much more, to find out the Citizens Rights to this information, and the Board Responsibilities in providing the information.
AN added bit of information or rumors if you want to say it that way......It has been said that the Village Board has already started making statements about getting rid of the officer they have, for a list of different reasons....Elmwood's Police Dept. has had many problems in the past years, mostly due to a board that believes they make the rules/laws to follow, whether they are legal or not..with the help of their attorney...This is something I have documented before from officer to officer..The Village may not like the officers speaking to me, but they do once the board crosses the line with them..One can only hope that soon there will be people with more ETHICS on the board to change this normal practice..It is very much needed for the small community....There has been plenty of bad talk about the reputation of the Board, and this has been spoken about at the meetings, and on the streets..
Submitted by Citizen Journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI- The Elmwood Village Board met Monday, July 12th for their monthly meeting, and discussed the upcoming UFO Days celebration coming the last full weekend of July. The Board Lifted the Open Container rules to allow drinking in the streets for the weekend. They also provided Class B Retailers Picnic Licenses for the Community Club, having a Food/Beer Tent in front of the Village Auditorium and also having a Class B License for the Car Show at Butternut Park. Temporary Operators Licenses were also provided for the Community Club for serving the beer. Larry Hofacker was present from the Community Club to speak on the Donation Request for the Fireworks. He explained to the Board that the cost for the fireworks have leveled out this year, after having an eighteen percent increase two years in a row. Village President Bill Stewart then stated that he and the Village Clerk looked into last years amount they donated, and he believed the five hundred dollars they donated would be about the same this year. Bruce Hartung then added that the amount was a budget item already, and made the motion to approve the donation.
In Other News- The Board made another change for the Auditorium Rental Contract, this time the change was made to the Non-Profit Group. Now, anyone that requires the elevator to be turned on, must sign the agreement that was made during last months meeting in regards to any maintenance needed due to abuse of the elevator. Stewart asked when this change was made, and Brian Buck explained they had a Committee meeting just prior to the Board meeting. Brian then gave information on a request by the Enrichment Council to hang a Quilt that was created ten to fifteen years ago with the creation of the council, that has anywhere from two to three hundred names of people within the community in print on it. They would like to get this hung in the Auditorium prior to UFO Days, he added. The Council also have four signs that date back to around the 1920’s that they would also like to be hung in the auditorium after they get framed. These are old local business signs that hung in the community. The Board approved the initial operators licenses for three people, and renewed another operators license for the Longbranch. There were no Committee and Board reports to be heard this month, so the board finished up by approving the bills and adjourning.
After the meeting adjourned a citizen requested to speak to the board, stating he wondered why the Village was not having Verizon Wireless come into the community and placing a antenna on the water tower. This would give the village income for allowing the antenna. Brian Buck and Stewart both responded, by stating that Verizon is on their way out, around the area. Stewart stated the company already came and removed their equipment from the County Sheriff Dept., while Buck stated the company dropped his contract claiming not enough customers in the area. The Citizen then had a complaint about some fireworks being shot off on HWY 72, and Stewart said the County responded to the complaint, due to the Village Officer was not on duty at the time. The Elmwood Officer added “They got spoken to”
NOTE- I also spoke to the Elmwood Officer and requested a copy of the report provided to the board on the Police Dept.’s activities, and he responded by stating they do not do that anymore. He is not the Chief, so he does not make out any reports to the board. I find this a bit troubling. Why is there no reports going to the Board or the Police Committee. The Officer has no protection of his job now, because he cannot prove what he does monthly for his job. I guess, the Village President did not want Elmwood Business to be provided to the Papers, now he has accomplished that. It continues to prove the Board wants information hid. No one is to know about all the Break Ins in the community,(unfortunatly, My Son is accused of being involved with these cases. He has also admitted to being part of them, but he is the only one being charged...No surprise there...) or if there are drunk drivers in the town. The Past is catching up once again in Elmwood. “What happens in Elmwood , Stays in Elmwood”. Citizens have the right to know what the police dept. is doing, and I will be investigating this much more, to find out the Citizens Rights to this information, and the Board Responsibilities in providing the information.
AN added bit of information or rumors if you want to say it that way......It has been said that the Village Board has already started making statements about getting rid of the officer they have, for a list of different reasons....Elmwood's Police Dept. has had many problems in the past years, mostly due to a board that believes they make the rules/laws to follow, whether they are legal or not..with the help of their attorney...This is something I have documented before from officer to officer..The Village may not like the officers speaking to me, but they do once the board crosses the line with them..One can only hope that soon there will be people with more ETHICS on the board to change this normal practice..It is very much needed for the small community....There has been plenty of bad talk about the reputation of the Board, and this has been spoken about at the meetings, and on the streets..
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
In School Testing Results Reviewed
School Board Hears Internal Testing Results
Submitted by: Citizen Journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI - On Tuesday June 29th the Elmwood school board listened to Principal Paul Blanford for a lengthy explanation of the in-school testing done with all the students from Kindergarten through Eighth grade. The tests are named MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Mr. Blanford went through the results of the testing grade by grade, to give a detailed explanation on how the students did with Reading, Language, and Math. The school gave the tests to students in the Fall, and again in the Spring to gauge the amount of growth by them. The tests had what he called a National Average of growth to be followed to help them see if the students are progressing as they need to be. In a summary provided by Mr. Blanford, the students really did very well in most areas. Most of the scoring was very close or above the expected levels. This testing was also done with a shorter period than the national average as well, being the school did not get a good start this year implementing the tests until a few weeks had already gone by. Most of the areas required near thirty to thirty two weeks of learning time, and the school only had twenty six to twenty eight weeks. This could leave the results being a couple points off with the lack of time being taught. It was also stated the students in grades Three through Five had a new math program this year called “Math Expressions”. This new curriculum required teachers to introduce and teach math skills in a new way that are quite different than have been practiced before. Making it a bit more difficult for the students and the teachers. Overall it seems that this is going to be a very productive tool for the school and the teachers to help the students progress through the year. The school has the ability to provide this test four times a year to those kids that are struggling, to assist them in a more structured program.
In Public Input, Brian Tolonen spoke to the Board about the experience he had going to a Badger Boys State program. There were 850 boys from around Wisconsin that attended the event for a one week long program. The program gave the boys the chance to be part in their Governments politics. Brian explained the process in which they broke the boys up into two groups, naming them the Federalist and the Nationalists. Early in the week they had campaigning, elections, conventions, and schooling. A Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice was on hand for the Election announcements. Brian also spoke of his favorite speaker during the event being Charles Wiley, a Journalist who was captured in China, while on assignment. Brian also gave a bit of insight on the different areas of study he had while there, going through schooling for Peace Officer and Ecology. In Ecology they learnt more about the Oil Spill in Alaska, In closing, Brian told the Board that he would recommend this program to anyone interested. The program also taught the boys to get the student body involved by having a representative of the students speak to the board with their concerns. This was something Brian stated he would like to get implemented this year if possible. He stated that he learnt how to get more involved, how to say Thank You when needed, and he added that he now believes he does not have any great need to becoming a politician. He wanted to Thank Marty Reinier and the American Legion for Sponsoring him, as well as Thanking the Board for listening to him speak of his experience.
The Administrative Report was then given by Paul Blanford. He started with the WIAA News for the Fall of 2011. There has been a new format for the season. High School Football practice will start one week earlier, beginning on Aug. 2nd. The upcoming Girl’s and Boy’s Basketball will see a change also, with a fifth division being created, making a total of five divisions in the playoffs. This will place Elmwood in the Fifth Division. The local Athletic Directors are not really happy with this he added, due to concerns with the heat, shortened vacation time, and the possibilities of more injuries with three games being played in a ten day period. There will be two openings for the assistant volleyball and track coaching staff. As of now, it is believed that Becky Baier will take over with Volleyball, and Heather Sand will take over in Track.
Superintendent Adam Zenner then spoke to the board, stating the Superintendent search is still ongoing. There are currently seven applications in for the position that has a July 6th deadline. He spoke of the Buildings and Grounds Committee looking into a new Special Ed bus. There are funds available for this, that need to be used before September 30, 2011. He also noted a new Route bus needed, stating the board should look at a rotation every two to three years to keep from needing multiple buses at one time. All the asphalt areas around the school have been redone this past week, and look great. The flooring and asbestos work are getting close to done also. The only area with asbestos left now, is the elementary part of the school, with the levels not being at an unhealthy level. Zenner also spoke to the board about the Athletic Season passes and the possibility of increasing the fee’s. No action was taken. The school had their audit going on in the boardroom, so the meeting was held in the High Scholl Library. Everything is going smooth, he added, stating they are looking at paying off some debt this year. Adam finished up by telling everyone that this was his last board meeting, due to his resignation. He said “Thank You, and it was a pleasure working for the school district”
Greg Nelson then began the rest of the meeting, making a motion to approve the agenda and the consent agenda also. He then went into discussing the Action Items, the Breakfast and Lunch prices would be increased this year by about thirty cents per level. The last raise was two years ago, he added. There was an information items to be looked at as well, being the school Food Service Policy. The policy needs to be better simplified, was said. Right now, a account may get fifty dollars behind before a notice is sent home. A second notice is sent when it reaches seventy five dollars, with a third being sent at one hundred dollars. Kids are given a sandwich and a carton of milk when the account becomes delinquent, beyond seventy five dollars. Another area to be looked into, is the allowance to students that are participating in events that keep them away from home for meals. Right now the policy reads that when a student misses a meal, they are to be given three dollars and fifty cents for a meal. This is believed to be needing increasing, as the costs of food have increased. This policy covers the activities that are overnight only at this time. The Student Insurance program is also being looked into as an expense the school may look at dropping. This coverage is only used as a secondary insurance, and does not get used very much. The cost to the school is going up nearly twenty five percent this year, pushing it close to Ten Thousand dollars. This was only an information item with no action taken.
Finishing up the meeting, Mr. Nelson spoke of the Open House on August 31, 2010 from 4 pm to 7 pm. There is also a Surplus sale in the Bus Garage on July 23rd and 24th.
Submitted by: Citizen Journalist Rick A. Talford
Elmwood, WI - On Tuesday June 29th the Elmwood school board listened to Principal Paul Blanford for a lengthy explanation of the in-school testing done with all the students from Kindergarten through Eighth grade. The tests are named MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Mr. Blanford went through the results of the testing grade by grade, to give a detailed explanation on how the students did with Reading, Language, and Math. The school gave the tests to students in the Fall, and again in the Spring to gauge the amount of growth by them. The tests had what he called a National Average of growth to be followed to help them see if the students are progressing as they need to be. In a summary provided by Mr. Blanford, the students really did very well in most areas. Most of the scoring was very close or above the expected levels. This testing was also done with a shorter period than the national average as well, being the school did not get a good start this year implementing the tests until a few weeks had already gone by. Most of the areas required near thirty to thirty two weeks of learning time, and the school only had twenty six to twenty eight weeks. This could leave the results being a couple points off with the lack of time being taught. It was also stated the students in grades Three through Five had a new math program this year called “Math Expressions”. This new curriculum required teachers to introduce and teach math skills in a new way that are quite different than have been practiced before. Making it a bit more difficult for the students and the teachers. Overall it seems that this is going to be a very productive tool for the school and the teachers to help the students progress through the year. The school has the ability to provide this test four times a year to those kids that are struggling, to assist them in a more structured program.
In Public Input, Brian Tolonen spoke to the Board about the experience he had going to a Badger Boys State program. There were 850 boys from around Wisconsin that attended the event for a one week long program. The program gave the boys the chance to be part in their Governments politics. Brian explained the process in which they broke the boys up into two groups, naming them the Federalist and the Nationalists. Early in the week they had campaigning, elections, conventions, and schooling. A Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice was on hand for the Election announcements. Brian also spoke of his favorite speaker during the event being Charles Wiley, a Journalist who was captured in China, while on assignment. Brian also gave a bit of insight on the different areas of study he had while there, going through schooling for Peace Officer and Ecology. In Ecology they learnt more about the Oil Spill in Alaska, In closing, Brian told the Board that he would recommend this program to anyone interested. The program also taught the boys to get the student body involved by having a representative of the students speak to the board with their concerns. This was something Brian stated he would like to get implemented this year if possible. He stated that he learnt how to get more involved, how to say Thank You when needed, and he added that he now believes he does not have any great need to becoming a politician. He wanted to Thank Marty Reinier and the American Legion for Sponsoring him, as well as Thanking the Board for listening to him speak of his experience.
The Administrative Report was then given by Paul Blanford. He started with the WIAA News for the Fall of 2011. There has been a new format for the season. High School Football practice will start one week earlier, beginning on Aug. 2nd. The upcoming Girl’s and Boy’s Basketball will see a change also, with a fifth division being created, making a total of five divisions in the playoffs. This will place Elmwood in the Fifth Division. The local Athletic Directors are not really happy with this he added, due to concerns with the heat, shortened vacation time, and the possibilities of more injuries with three games being played in a ten day period. There will be two openings for the assistant volleyball and track coaching staff. As of now, it is believed that Becky Baier will take over with Volleyball, and Heather Sand will take over in Track.
Superintendent Adam Zenner then spoke to the board, stating the Superintendent search is still ongoing. There are currently seven applications in for the position that has a July 6th deadline. He spoke of the Buildings and Grounds Committee looking into a new Special Ed bus. There are funds available for this, that need to be used before September 30, 2011. He also noted a new Route bus needed, stating the board should look at a rotation every two to three years to keep from needing multiple buses at one time. All the asphalt areas around the school have been redone this past week, and look great. The flooring and asbestos work are getting close to done also. The only area with asbestos left now, is the elementary part of the school, with the levels not being at an unhealthy level. Zenner also spoke to the board about the Athletic Season passes and the possibility of increasing the fee’s. No action was taken. The school had their audit going on in the boardroom, so the meeting was held in the High Scholl Library. Everything is going smooth, he added, stating they are looking at paying off some debt this year. Adam finished up by telling everyone that this was his last board meeting, due to his resignation. He said “Thank You, and it was a pleasure working for the school district”
Greg Nelson then began the rest of the meeting, making a motion to approve the agenda and the consent agenda also. He then went into discussing the Action Items, the Breakfast and Lunch prices would be increased this year by about thirty cents per level. The last raise was two years ago, he added. There was an information items to be looked at as well, being the school Food Service Policy. The policy needs to be better simplified, was said. Right now, a account may get fifty dollars behind before a notice is sent home. A second notice is sent when it reaches seventy five dollars, with a third being sent at one hundred dollars. Kids are given a sandwich and a carton of milk when the account becomes delinquent, beyond seventy five dollars. Another area to be looked into, is the allowance to students that are participating in events that keep them away from home for meals. Right now the policy reads that when a student misses a meal, they are to be given three dollars and fifty cents for a meal. This is believed to be needing increasing, as the costs of food have increased. This policy covers the activities that are overnight only at this time. The Student Insurance program is also being looked into as an expense the school may look at dropping. This coverage is only used as a secondary insurance, and does not get used very much. The cost to the school is going up nearly twenty five percent this year, pushing it close to Ten Thousand dollars. This was only an information item with no action taken.
Finishing up the meeting, Mr. Nelson spoke of the Open House on August 31, 2010 from 4 pm to 7 pm. There is also a Surplus sale in the Bus Garage on July 23rd and 24th.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Elmwood Village Board Meeting for June 2010
Policy Change for Auditorium Rental Agreement
Elmwood - During the Village Board Meeting on Monday night, the Board discussed the Auditorium rental agreement. A wedding party on May 1st, 2010 ended with the elevator locked up on the first floor. This is a safety feature the elevator has, and when the technician came to do the repair, it was (ONLY) assumed that kids may have been playing in the elevator, (pressing all the buttons), causing the lock up mode to be reacted. The cost for the technician to come to the auditorium and reset the computer was $600.00. The members of the board agreed that they needed to make a change to the agreement to ensure they would not have to pay for this again. Village President Bill Stewart stated “During or after the event, Whoever rents it and this happens, will be responsible to repair it. Other than normal wear and tear, someone who uses the elevator with abuse and damages occur, will need to pay for it.” It was then questioned by a citizen (Delorse Radtke) about the groups that are given the auditorium without any agreement being signed, such as the 4H group. The Board responded by stating that they usually keep the elevator locked, unless needed. Stewart then added that a line was being included in the agreement to state the liability of the renter for the elevator use. “We need to notify the Public” was stated. The change was unanimously voted in.
(Note-- This is the policy that the Deputy Village Clerk told Matt Marose about, just 4 days prior to his wedding date, causing him to take his wedding elsewhere after having an agreement already signed with the village, back in Feb. 2010. It was stated to Matt after the meeting by Village Clerk Wayne that the village was going to pay Marose his deposit back now. This after being told they would not refund his money due to he did not give them 31 days notice of the change, yet they did not give him any written notice to the change at all. we will have to wait and see how long they take to pay him back. it should have already been done in my mind)
UPDATE- I made contact with Matt this week, and he has received his deposit money back. He then stopped into the village office to pay his water bill, and Wayne acted very unprofessional with him, speaking in a snotty manner. While there Matt noticed that a copy of Pierce Co. Herald Sari Gordon's article was printed out and copies were available for citizens to take. This was a glorified article making the village out to be saints in making this policy against the renters. At the bottom of the page, was my added comments that I left on the website, making it a bit more clear on the steps the village took, costing Matt and Emily much anxiety and stress for their wedding just 4 days prior to it. The village was forcing a policy that had not gone through the legal steps to be valid. THANK YOU Village Clerk for providing my views to the citizens, hopefully you are not charging for the copies, being that is another policy of the village . Charge for any copy given out. I do believe it is 25 cents per page.
The 2009 CMA Report and the 2010 Resolution was reviewed. Jamie Reitz of the Public Works spoke to the Board, stating proof that the board was reviewing the information was needed, and that is why this was on the agenda. There are numerous questions that need to be answered, such as the number of basement backups that have occurred, and the number of complaints received are just a couple that are asked. After a short discussion the board approved the information provided.
The Village Clerk, Amy Wayne told the board of the Identity Theft Program that is being put in place to protect all of the Village Records from any electronic theft. “This is now required” she added. Also the Financial Statement from there Audit was reviewed by all the members. “This was a summary of the CPA is what I gather,” stated Wayne.
A handful of Operators Licenses were reviewed and approved, as well as the Liquor Licenses for Tiffany’s, Sandbar, Cenex, and the Longbranch for the next year. “Everything pretty much looks like normal” explained Wayne.
Renae Stohr requested a Conditional Use Permit at 147 W. Winter Ave. to start a home based business out of their basement for Message Therapy. It was stated that the Plan Commission had met on May 22nd, and they approved the re-zoning needed. (again Delorse Radtke questioned if they had gone through the plan commission first and clerk Wayne explained that they had, and everything was published) The board voted unanimously to approve, with Member Rick Stohr abstaining.
(I did not hear him say anything, but Stewart stated that he abstained)
Another lengthy discussion ensued over the Drainage Improvements needed to the intersection of Hwy 72 and Main Street. There has been a problem with water standing at the intersection for years. Public Works asked Steven’s Engineering to review the problem and give the board a cost estimate to put a valley from the North to the South side of the street. A bid of $10, 295.00 was received. Half of this cost would be the business owners responsibility as well. Rheil’s Funeral Home and Highland Hollow would be given letters of assessment prior to any work starting. Member Bob Weix added that there is a spot between the Library and Paul Peterson’s building that has sunk after a repair. This now is ponding as well. This repair could be done at the same time, and would be a Village cost of just a couple hundred dollars. The Board discussed the fact that only 1 bid had been received, and the cost to the village would be approx. $5900.00. There is $15K available in the Sidewalk Fund to cover the work. (Bob Weix added that he was told by a lady in town, that she had fallen due to the problem.)
During Public Input, the final cost for the Eau Claire Press Co. lawsuit regarding the release of information on Jodi Pulk’s Suspension was requested. The attorney fee’s for the Leader Telegram were $3,042.09 with another $100.00 paid in Statutory Damages. The payment of this was approved last month during the board meeting. (the amount was not published in the paper, nor was it reported by Sari Gordon of the Pierce County Herald)
( I was given a slip after the meeting by Clerk Wayne, claiming $ 3,242.09 as the cost-- 100.00 over what I was told by the editor of the leader telegram. I do not understand why the 2 would have a different total. This does not reflect the cost of village attorney Robert Loberg's fees either. This cost is directly the cause of the lies by village trustee's and president in trying to state the clerk resigned, instead of she was being terminated through a suspension. If they would have simply told the truth to begin with, the village residents would not be paying for their lying..tax increase coming to pay for this action again...Just like the Meyers case that cost the village at least 20K, Stewart even stated to a citizen it probably cost them the entire budgeted money they had--that was 70K. all this for nonsense actions by Robert Rupakus and Bill Stewart)
Finishing up the meeting was the Committee and Board reports. Patricia Knops gave information on the Nursing Home, stating they had a Presentation on June 8th by the River Valley Architects over doing an Analysis and Concept Design for doing “In Room Therapy”. She also added the Nursing Home had removed most of its money from Elmwood’s Citizen State Bank, and placed it with Bremmer Bank and the Wisconsin Credit Union. Bob Weix gave a report from the Library Committee. They will be holding a Underwater Expo at the Village Auditorium this Wed. at 1pm. “You can come and pet a shark” he added. There have been 2 new computers set up, new shelving and 4 new outlets have been put in place. A $500.00 donation was received in memory of Donna Weinzirl. He then asked about a bike rack that was outside the auditorium building that has disappeared. Jane from the Library would like to use it for the kids to park their bikes in back, instead of having them on the sidewalk out front of the library. The Summer Reading program starting next week is planned too.
Submitted by Citizen Journalist Rick A. Talford
(journalist for the Spring Valley Sun/Elmwood Argus)
note-- this article has my personal opinions included. The article submitted to the newspaper does not..It was also brought to my attention that several calls had been made to the Sun/Argus questioning my position with the paper. I only told one person about by affiliation with the sun/argus and that was in private. The Village clerk apparently told everyone she could after we spoke to have this happen. The word spreads fast when you tell a clerk I guess!! WHY???? is my only question....is their a bit of anxiety by the village board now..I am only reporting what I hear....My position is not a paid one. I have absolutely no benefits from doing it....I read an article in the paper in early may, regarding the new website for the sun/argus. In that article it told of a citizen journalist program that was being offered to anyone with interest. I had such interest and sent a letter of interest to the paper.........so that is all that is needed to be known, I will cover different functions in and around Elmwood, and send in articles to be looked at for publication.
UPDATE 7-2-10
I picked up this weeks Argus to find the minutes from the clerk posted. Well......she is not very accurate I tell ya..maybe the recorder needs to come back to the meetings, so the accuracy does...I am not the professional here, but she has enough wrong just with her statements on what I asked and stated....1st of all she claims My son Kenneth was attending the meeting......He was not with me at any time during the meeting.........2nd..She stated that when I requested the information on the lawsuit, she told me she would get it after the meeting............WRONG....Bill Stewart told her to go into the office and get the information for me, and I spoke up, telling them they could waite until after the meeting , so it would not hold the meeting up......3rd.. She states that I requested more clarification on the auditorium policy.....WRONG AGAIN....I asked Bill twice to give me a direct answer on whether this policy was going to be used against all functions in the auditorium...he half answered yes,..... then went right back to the wedding story... so I asked him again to get a clear answer if they were going to hold the policy against all the functions held or not...again he said yes. .........This is not the way the article is written by the clerk now though......seems the wedding parties are the only ones going to get this policy against them.....I do record the meetings myself, so I have the proof of what I write...WORD FOR WORD......I also noticed she claims that Bob Weix stated the repair spot by the library would be the libraries responsibility....that was not the case...they said the bad spot was between the library and paul petersons building, and it could be reapired by the village for just a couple hundred dollars....
Elmwood - During the Village Board Meeting on Monday night, the Board discussed the Auditorium rental agreement. A wedding party on May 1st, 2010 ended with the elevator locked up on the first floor. This is a safety feature the elevator has, and when the technician came to do the repair, it was (ONLY) assumed that kids may have been playing in the elevator, (pressing all the buttons), causing the lock up mode to be reacted. The cost for the technician to come to the auditorium and reset the computer was $600.00. The members of the board agreed that they needed to make a change to the agreement to ensure they would not have to pay for this again. Village President Bill Stewart stated “During or after the event, Whoever rents it and this happens, will be responsible to repair it. Other than normal wear and tear, someone who uses the elevator with abuse and damages occur, will need to pay for it.” It was then questioned by a citizen (Delorse Radtke) about the groups that are given the auditorium without any agreement being signed, such as the 4H group. The Board responded by stating that they usually keep the elevator locked, unless needed. Stewart then added that a line was being included in the agreement to state the liability of the renter for the elevator use. “We need to notify the Public” was stated. The change was unanimously voted in.
(Note-- This is the policy that the Deputy Village Clerk told Matt Marose about, just 4 days prior to his wedding date, causing him to take his wedding elsewhere after having an agreement already signed with the village, back in Feb. 2010. It was stated to Matt after the meeting by Village Clerk Wayne that the village was going to pay Marose his deposit back now. This after being told they would not refund his money due to he did not give them 31 days notice of the change, yet they did not give him any written notice to the change at all. we will have to wait and see how long they take to pay him back. it should have already been done in my mind)
UPDATE- I made contact with Matt this week, and he has received his deposit money back. He then stopped into the village office to pay his water bill, and Wayne acted very unprofessional with him, speaking in a snotty manner. While there Matt noticed that a copy of Pierce Co. Herald Sari Gordon's article was printed out and copies were available for citizens to take. This was a glorified article making the village out to be saints in making this policy against the renters. At the bottom of the page, was my added comments that I left on the website, making it a bit more clear on the steps the village took, costing Matt and Emily much anxiety and stress for their wedding just 4 days prior to it. The village was forcing a policy that had not gone through the legal steps to be valid. THANK YOU Village Clerk for providing my views to the citizens, hopefully you are not charging for the copies, being that is another policy of the village . Charge for any copy given out. I do believe it is 25 cents per page.
The 2009 CMA Report and the 2010 Resolution was reviewed. Jamie Reitz of the Public Works spoke to the Board, stating proof that the board was reviewing the information was needed, and that is why this was on the agenda. There are numerous questions that need to be answered, such as the number of basement backups that have occurred, and the number of complaints received are just a couple that are asked. After a short discussion the board approved the information provided.
The Village Clerk, Amy Wayne told the board of the Identity Theft Program that is being put in place to protect all of the Village Records from any electronic theft. “This is now required” she added. Also the Financial Statement from there Audit was reviewed by all the members. “This was a summary of the CPA is what I gather,” stated Wayne.
A handful of Operators Licenses were reviewed and approved, as well as the Liquor Licenses for Tiffany’s, Sandbar, Cenex, and the Longbranch for the next year. “Everything pretty much looks like normal” explained Wayne.
Renae Stohr requested a Conditional Use Permit at 147 W. Winter Ave. to start a home based business out of their basement for Message Therapy. It was stated that the Plan Commission had met on May 22nd, and they approved the re-zoning needed. (again Delorse Radtke questioned if they had gone through the plan commission first and clerk Wayne explained that they had, and everything was published) The board voted unanimously to approve, with Member Rick Stohr abstaining.
(I did not hear him say anything, but Stewart stated that he abstained)
Another lengthy discussion ensued over the Drainage Improvements needed to the intersection of Hwy 72 and Main Street. There has been a problem with water standing at the intersection for years. Public Works asked Steven’s Engineering to review the problem and give the board a cost estimate to put a valley from the North to the South side of the street. A bid of $10, 295.00 was received. Half of this cost would be the business owners responsibility as well. Rheil’s Funeral Home and Highland Hollow would be given letters of assessment prior to any work starting. Member Bob Weix added that there is a spot between the Library and Paul Peterson’s building that has sunk after a repair. This now is ponding as well. This repair could be done at the same time, and would be a Village cost of just a couple hundred dollars. The Board discussed the fact that only 1 bid had been received, and the cost to the village would be approx. $5900.00. There is $15K available in the Sidewalk Fund to cover the work. (Bob Weix added that he was told by a lady in town, that she had fallen due to the problem.)
During Public Input, the final cost for the Eau Claire Press Co. lawsuit regarding the release of information on Jodi Pulk’s Suspension was requested. The attorney fee’s for the Leader Telegram were $3,042.09 with another $100.00 paid in Statutory Damages. The payment of this was approved last month during the board meeting. (the amount was not published in the paper, nor was it reported by Sari Gordon of the Pierce County Herald)
( I was given a slip after the meeting by Clerk Wayne, claiming $ 3,242.09 as the cost-- 100.00 over what I was told by the editor of the leader telegram. I do not understand why the 2 would have a different total. This does not reflect the cost of village attorney Robert Loberg's fees either. This cost is directly the cause of the lies by village trustee's and president in trying to state the clerk resigned, instead of she was being terminated through a suspension. If they would have simply told the truth to begin with, the village residents would not be paying for their lying..tax increase coming to pay for this action again...Just like the Meyers case that cost the village at least 20K, Stewart even stated to a citizen it probably cost them the entire budgeted money they had--that was 70K. all this for nonsense actions by Robert Rupakus and Bill Stewart)
Finishing up the meeting was the Committee and Board reports. Patricia Knops gave information on the Nursing Home, stating they had a Presentation on June 8th by the River Valley Architects over doing an Analysis and Concept Design for doing “In Room Therapy”. She also added the Nursing Home had removed most of its money from Elmwood’s Citizen State Bank, and placed it with Bremmer Bank and the Wisconsin Credit Union. Bob Weix gave a report from the Library Committee. They will be holding a Underwater Expo at the Village Auditorium this Wed. at 1pm. “You can come and pet a shark” he added. There have been 2 new computers set up, new shelving and 4 new outlets have been put in place. A $500.00 donation was received in memory of Donna Weinzirl. He then asked about a bike rack that was outside the auditorium building that has disappeared. Jane from the Library would like to use it for the kids to park their bikes in back, instead of having them on the sidewalk out front of the library. The Summer Reading program starting next week is planned too.
Submitted by Citizen Journalist Rick A. Talford
(journalist for the Spring Valley Sun/Elmwood Argus)
note-- this article has my personal opinions included. The article submitted to the newspaper does not..It was also brought to my attention that several calls had been made to the Sun/Argus questioning my position with the paper. I only told one person about by affiliation with the sun/argus and that was in private. The Village clerk apparently told everyone she could after we spoke to have this happen. The word spreads fast when you tell a clerk I guess!! WHY???? is my only question....is their a bit of anxiety by the village board now..I am only reporting what I hear....My position is not a paid one. I have absolutely no benefits from doing it....I read an article in the paper in early may, regarding the new website for the sun/argus. In that article it told of a citizen journalist program that was being offered to anyone with interest. I had such interest and sent a letter of interest to the paper.........so that is all that is needed to be known, I will cover different functions in and around Elmwood, and send in articles to be looked at for publication.
UPDATE 7-2-10
I picked up this weeks Argus to find the minutes from the clerk posted. Well......she is not very accurate I tell ya..maybe the recorder needs to come back to the meetings, so the accuracy does...I am not the professional here, but she has enough wrong just with her statements on what I asked and stated....1st of all she claims My son Kenneth was attending the meeting......He was not with me at any time during the meeting.........2nd..She stated that when I requested the information on the lawsuit, she told me she would get it after the meeting............WRONG....Bill Stewart told her to go into the office and get the information for me, and I spoke up, telling them they could waite until after the meeting , so it would not hold the meeting up......3rd.. She states that I requested more clarification on the auditorium policy.....WRONG AGAIN....I asked Bill twice to give me a direct answer on whether this policy was going to be used against all functions in the auditorium...he half answered yes,..... then went right back to the wedding story... so I asked him again to get a clear answer if they were going to hold the policy against all the functions held or not...again he said yes. .........This is not the way the article is written by the clerk now though......seems the wedding parties are the only ones going to get this policy against them.....I do record the meetings myself, so I have the proof of what I write...WORD FOR WORD......I also noticed she claims that Bob Weix stated the repair spot by the library would be the libraries responsibility....that was not the case...they said the bad spot was between the library and paul petersons building, and it could be reapired by the village for just a couple hundred dollars....
Monday, June 7, 2010
Elmwood Board President Does it Again!!!
A wedding was to be at the Elmwood Auditorium on Saturday June the 12th, 2010. This was Emily Felling and Matt Marose day to be wed in the Auditorium. Today Matt went to the Village Office to pay for the rental that they signed an agreement on Feb. 9, 2010, and upon speaking to the Deputy Clerk of the Village, he was told that Bill Stewart the Village President made a new policy that anyone using the Auditorium must agree that they are 100% responsible for any break downs of the elevator used to get upstairs to the auditorium by anyone who is handicapped or has other needs for the elevator use. (This could lead to a bill in the thousands easily, over an unwritten policy) He questioned why this is just now being stated, being he signed an agreement and paid a deposit long ago, and the clerk stated it was discussed at the May board meeting. (nothing was in the Pierce County Herald report about it, nor was anything written by the Village Clerk in the legal minutes of the meeting posted in the Elmwood Argus) Matt requested his money back that he paid the clerk, stating he was going to have to make different arrangements for their wedding in just 4 days. She gave him everything except his deposit back, stating they would not refund that because he did not provide 31 days notice. He was never told about the policy until today, just 4 days before the wedding.(food for thought---What if Matt would have waited until Friday to stop in and pay the rest of the rental fees, he would have been stuck accepting their unwritten rules---maybe that is exactly what they expected to happen.) No one with common sense would take such a liability, especially when they had no knowledge of it prior.( this was suppose to have been done in May, yet nothing was done to contact anyone that had deposits down already to inform them of this change a month later) Matt then went back later in the day, and requested a copy in writing on this policy Stewart created, and the clerk said "There is nothing in writing, it was something they discussed" Matt asked how they could have a policy without it being in writing, that would not be considered legal. Just a bit more information, Matt spoke with Bill Stewart on a back road in Elmwood, questioning some of the poor actions the village board had been taking (just a couple weeks ago, and now this happens just days prior to their wedding.) This has caused the bride and groom much stress and anxiety and the Village is responsible 100% for failing to provide the contracted agreement between them and Marose. I will hope that Matt takes the appropriate actions against the board for his losses and stress they have created wrongfully. (This may very well lead to another legal fiasco caused by the Village Board once again) I will help in every manner that I can. Who knows, this may even end up in the local newspapers as the past stories have. Other citizens have verified this information to be true by calling the village office and getting told the same nonsense. Actions like this need to be stopped, especially when it looks like a simple target action against someone that was questioning the boards actions. One good thing out of this, is the local Methodist Church in Elmwood has agreed to have the wedding done there with such a short notice..Thank God and Pastor Charles Demaris
UPDATE- 6-13-10
The wedding for Matt and Emily went on without a problem Saturday at the United Methodist Church in Elmwood...Even though the Village President did his best to wreck a bride and grooms day, it was a perfect success. Leaving the wedding and heading home, I swung by the village auditorium to check out the notice for Mondays meeting of the board and noticed that they have now placed it legally on the agenda for Junes meeting to speak about the changes to the rental policy for the auditorium....so in fact they where wrongfully taking this action against Matt for his wedding....Nothing had been done legally, so they should not have caused any problems for his rental agreement that he signed in Feb. This just proves the action was taken prematurely by the Village President and the Deputy Clerk that informed Matt of the unwritten policy..Matt will definitely have the rights to sue the village for breaking the agreement they had, and get every penny it cost him to change their wedding plans......Get ready Mr. Stewart....you caused yet another legal action to be coming to the Village of Elmwood , and I am sure you will let the citizens pay for your actions just as all the other cases have....The citizens of the community should not be held responsible for your dumb actions, yet I am sure you will claim you DID NOTHING WRONG, Right?
UPDATE 6-18-10
Well, the Board meeting went on, and the Board unanimously created a policy against what seem to be a policy against the Wedding Parties at the Auditorium.Listening to Board President Bill Stewart, it seemed like they really did not have any factual information that the problem with the elevator was definitely caused by kids at a May 1st wedding, but the elevator did stop working during that event. It went to the lower level of the building and went into a lock down mode. The President stated that when the technician came, he claimed that kids must have been playing in the elevator and were pushing all the buttons, causing the issue to occur. The repair cost the village $600.00 stated Stewart. The members of the board immed. decided that they needed to create a policy to keep from paying for repairs again. I asked the Village President if this policy was going to be held against all functions, and he half answered yes, but then went into a story against the wedding parties again, and kids playing in the elevator. I tried to ask the question again to get a definite answer to whether the policy was going to be used with all functions in the auditorium, and he responded yes. Delorse Radtke then asked about the groups that get the auditorium for free, without signing any agreements, that have many kids in the groups. It was stated then that they keep the elevator locked for most of those events. Bob Weix then stated, well we need it for the library on Wed. for the underwater expo that is coming up their. So there is really no way that they are going to hold everyone using the elevator responsible under this policy, it really looks like the wedding parties are the ones getting targeted by the change in the agreement. This is not suppose to be a cost for normal wear and tear, but yet they only have a technicians beliefs to what may have caused the problem the first time. I see problems coming with this agreement change, and possibly less people renting the auditorium, if they actually read the policy through and see this change, making them responsible for break downs of a Government building elevator. After the meeting ended, Matt asked the Village Clerk what the Board decided to do as far as his deposit, and the Clerk responded that they were going to pay him back. He stated he was glad, that would keep them from going through the court hassle, and the clerk snapped "What did you say" and Matt simply said it again. She apparently did not hear him correctly, but it is seeable that she cracks pretty quickly and becomes verbal as well.
UPDATE- 6-13-10
The wedding for Matt and Emily went on without a problem Saturday at the United Methodist Church in Elmwood...Even though the Village President did his best to wreck a bride and grooms day, it was a perfect success. Leaving the wedding and heading home, I swung by the village auditorium to check out the notice for Mondays meeting of the board and noticed that they have now placed it legally on the agenda for Junes meeting to speak about the changes to the rental policy for the auditorium....so in fact they where wrongfully taking this action against Matt for his wedding....Nothing had been done legally, so they should not have caused any problems for his rental agreement that he signed in Feb. This just proves the action was taken prematurely by the Village President and the Deputy Clerk that informed Matt of the unwritten policy..Matt will definitely have the rights to sue the village for breaking the agreement they had, and get every penny it cost him to change their wedding plans......Get ready Mr. Stewart....you caused yet another legal action to be coming to the Village of Elmwood , and I am sure you will let the citizens pay for your actions just as all the other cases have....The citizens of the community should not be held responsible for your dumb actions, yet I am sure you will claim you DID NOTHING WRONG, Right?
UPDATE 6-18-10
Well, the Board meeting went on, and the Board unanimously created a policy against what seem to be a policy against the Wedding Parties at the Auditorium.Listening to Board President Bill Stewart, it seemed like they really did not have any factual information that the problem with the elevator was definitely caused by kids at a May 1st wedding, but the elevator did stop working during that event. It went to the lower level of the building and went into a lock down mode. The President stated that when the technician came, he claimed that kids must have been playing in the elevator and were pushing all the buttons, causing the issue to occur. The repair cost the village $600.00 stated Stewart. The members of the board immed. decided that they needed to create a policy to keep from paying for repairs again. I asked the Village President if this policy was going to be held against all functions, and he half answered yes, but then went into a story against the wedding parties again, and kids playing in the elevator. I tried to ask the question again to get a definite answer to whether the policy was going to be used with all functions in the auditorium, and he responded yes. Delorse Radtke then asked about the groups that get the auditorium for free, without signing any agreements, that have many kids in the groups. It was stated then that they keep the elevator locked for most of those events. Bob Weix then stated, well we need it for the library on Wed. for the underwater expo that is coming up their. So there is really no way that they are going to hold everyone using the elevator responsible under this policy, it really looks like the wedding parties are the ones getting targeted by the change in the agreement. This is not suppose to be a cost for normal wear and tear, but yet they only have a technicians beliefs to what may have caused the problem the first time. I see problems coming with this agreement change, and possibly less people renting the auditorium, if they actually read the policy through and see this change, making them responsible for break downs of a Government building elevator. After the meeting ended, Matt asked the Village Clerk what the Board decided to do as far as his deposit, and the Clerk responded that they were going to pay him back. He stated he was glad, that would keep them from going through the court hassle, and the clerk snapped "What did you say" and Matt simply said it again. She apparently did not hear him correctly, but it is seeable that she cracks pretty quickly and becomes verbal as well.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Elmwood Track Team heading for State Competition
E-PC’s Track Team Regional Champs, Heading for State Competition
The Elmwood-Plum City Red Devils completed their tasks of running over the competition this past week in Colfax, during Regional on Tuesday, and Sectional Competition on Thursday. The Boys team became Regional Champions for the very first time in School History. The Girls did very well also. Everyone in attendance had to deal with very warm temperatures at the two events. Some of the results are as follows.
Regional’s for the Girl’s squad, brought home 1st place finishes in the 100m dash (Jenna Reitz), she also won the 200m dash. Triple Jump (Jordyn Mark). They had 2nd place finishes in the 800m run (Becky Hartung), 4x400m relay (Heather VonHoltum, Marah Boyer, Jenna Reitz, Becky Hartung). They also had top 5 finishes in 4x800m relay (Becky Hartung, Abbie Hartung, Morgan Sweeney, Sarah Claflin), 1600m run (Morgan Sweeney), 400m dash (Heather VonHoltum), and the High Jump (Marah Boyer). The Team finished 5th of the 9 teams attending.
The Boy’s had 1st place finishes in 4x800m Relay (Allex Gilles, Jordan Jones, Tanner Bechel, Tim Talford), 100m Hurdles (Nick Kernstock), 200m Dash (Gabe Rodriquez), 1600m Run (Tim Talford), 400m Dash (Gabe Rodriquez), 300m Hurdles (Tyler Churchill), 800m Run (Allex Gilles), 4x400m Relay (Allex Gilles, Tyler Churchill, Jaylen Case, Tim Talford), and the Long Jump (Lance VonHoltum). They took 2nd place in the 4x200m Relay (Tim Wayne, Nick Kernstock, Vance VonHoltum, Tyler Churchill), High Jump (Jaylen Case), Shot Put (Alex Hartung), and the Triple Jump (Tyler Churchill). Having top 5 finishes were the boys 100m Dash (Tim Wayne and Jesse McKune), 400m Dash (Jaylen Case), 4x100m Relay (Tim Wayne, Nick Kernstock, Hayden Kernstock, Lance VonHoltum), 300m Hurdles (Chase Lanz), and the 800m Run (Seth Jones).
Sectional’s for the Girl’s on Thursday had 1st place finishes in the 100m and the 200m Dash (Jenna Reitz). 2nd place finish by the 4x400m Relay (Heather VonHoltum, Marah Boyer, Jenna Reitz, Becky Hartung). They also had a top 10 finishes in 800m Run (Becky Hartung), 4x800m Relay (Abbie and Becky Hartung, Sarah Claflin, Morgan Sweeney), 400m Dash (Heather VonHoltum), and the Triple Jump (Jordyn Mark), The Squad finished 5th of 31 teams at the event.
The Boy’s had 2nd place finishes in 4x400m Relay (Allex Gilles, Tyler Churchill, Gabe Rodriquez, Tim Talford), Shot Put (Alex Hartung), 4x800m Relay (Allex Gilles, Seth Jones, Tanner Bechel, Tim Talford). The squad also had top 10 finishes in Triple Jump (Tyler Churchill), 110m Hurdles (Nick Kernstock), 100m Dash (Tim Wayne), 1600m Run (Tim Talford), 4x200m Relay (Tim Wayne, Hayden Kernstock, Lance VonHoltum, Tyler Churchill), 400m Dash (Gabe Rodriquez), 4x100m Relay (Tim Wayne, Nick and Hayden Kernstock, Lance VonHoltum), 200m Dash (Gabe Rodriquez), High Jump (Jaylen Case), and the 800m Run (Allex Gilles and Seth Jones). The Boy’s finished the competition in 3rd of 31 teams.
Next up will be the State Competition in LaCrosse, June 4th and 5th. Good Luck to all the athlete’s and coaches attending.
The Elmwood-Plum City Red Devils completed their tasks of running over the competition this past week in Colfax, during Regional on Tuesday, and Sectional Competition on Thursday. The Boys team became Regional Champions for the very first time in School History. The Girls did very well also. Everyone in attendance had to deal with very warm temperatures at the two events. Some of the results are as follows.
Regional’s for the Girl’s squad, brought home 1st place finishes in the 100m dash (Jenna Reitz), she also won the 200m dash. Triple Jump (Jordyn Mark). They had 2nd place finishes in the 800m run (Becky Hartung), 4x400m relay (Heather VonHoltum, Marah Boyer, Jenna Reitz, Becky Hartung). They also had top 5 finishes in 4x800m relay (Becky Hartung, Abbie Hartung, Morgan Sweeney, Sarah Claflin), 1600m run (Morgan Sweeney), 400m dash (Heather VonHoltum), and the High Jump (Marah Boyer). The Team finished 5th of the 9 teams attending.
The Boy’s had 1st place finishes in 4x800m Relay (Allex Gilles, Jordan Jones, Tanner Bechel, Tim Talford), 100m Hurdles (Nick Kernstock), 200m Dash (Gabe Rodriquez), 1600m Run (Tim Talford), 400m Dash (Gabe Rodriquez), 300m Hurdles (Tyler Churchill), 800m Run (Allex Gilles), 4x400m Relay (Allex Gilles, Tyler Churchill, Jaylen Case, Tim Talford), and the Long Jump (Lance VonHoltum). They took 2nd place in the 4x200m Relay (Tim Wayne, Nick Kernstock, Vance VonHoltum, Tyler Churchill), High Jump (Jaylen Case), Shot Put (Alex Hartung), and the Triple Jump (Tyler Churchill). Having top 5 finishes were the boys 100m Dash (Tim Wayne and Jesse McKune), 400m Dash (Jaylen Case), 4x100m Relay (Tim Wayne, Nick Kernstock, Hayden Kernstock, Lance VonHoltum), 300m Hurdles (Chase Lanz), and the 800m Run (Seth Jones).
Sectional’s for the Girl’s on Thursday had 1st place finishes in the 100m and the 200m Dash (Jenna Reitz). 2nd place finish by the 4x400m Relay (Heather VonHoltum, Marah Boyer, Jenna Reitz, Becky Hartung). They also had a top 10 finishes in 800m Run (Becky Hartung), 4x800m Relay (Abbie and Becky Hartung, Sarah Claflin, Morgan Sweeney), 400m Dash (Heather VonHoltum), and the Triple Jump (Jordyn Mark), The Squad finished 5th of 31 teams at the event.
The Boy’s had 2nd place finishes in 4x400m Relay (Allex Gilles, Tyler Churchill, Gabe Rodriquez, Tim Talford), Shot Put (Alex Hartung), 4x800m Relay (Allex Gilles, Seth Jones, Tanner Bechel, Tim Talford). The squad also had top 10 finishes in Triple Jump (Tyler Churchill), 110m Hurdles (Nick Kernstock), 100m Dash (Tim Wayne), 1600m Run (Tim Talford), 4x200m Relay (Tim Wayne, Hayden Kernstock, Lance VonHoltum, Tyler Churchill), 400m Dash (Gabe Rodriquez), 4x100m Relay (Tim Wayne, Nick and Hayden Kernstock, Lance VonHoltum), 200m Dash (Gabe Rodriquez), High Jump (Jaylen Case), and the 800m Run (Allex Gilles and Seth Jones). The Boy’s finished the competition in 3rd of 31 teams.
Next up will be the State Competition in LaCrosse, June 4th and 5th. Good Luck to all the athlete’s and coaches attending.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Special Board Meeting
5/20/2010 6:00:00 AM
Village Of Elmwood Application For Liquor And Malt Beverage License 5/25
A Special Village Board Meeting was held on May 25th for a Beverage License for non-other than Robert Rupakus, former board member of Elmwood. It has always been known that any special meetings to be held, had to be paid for by the person requesting the meeting. Now I wonder if the Citizens have to pay for him and his request for the license. Being there is only a couple weeks before the next meeting of the Board, I do not see why they had to hold a special meeting that will cost the citizens in paying the members to attend the meeting.
I guess this also make it official that Rupakus in planning on running against his buddies as a bar owner in Elmwood. I will point out to everyone, that Rupakus caused many problems for the previous owners of the Longbranch with their Licenses and also with the Rules he pushed against the same bar, while standing outside the bar to get citations against them for after hours violations. This was a well known fact by people of the community. It was also noted that there have been rumors of Rupakus running for Village President in the next election. Wouldn't that be perfect....then he could run the village from behind the bar.............Just a thought, being the village has been run from the bar meetings for the past several years....
We'll see soon enough.......
Village Of Elmwood Application For Liquor And Malt Beverage License 5/25
A Special Village Board Meeting was held on May 25th for a Beverage License for non-other than Robert Rupakus, former board member of Elmwood. It has always been known that any special meetings to be held, had to be paid for by the person requesting the meeting. Now I wonder if the Citizens have to pay for him and his request for the license. Being there is only a couple weeks before the next meeting of the Board, I do not see why they had to hold a special meeting that will cost the citizens in paying the members to attend the meeting.
I guess this also make it official that Rupakus in planning on running against his buddies as a bar owner in Elmwood. I will point out to everyone, that Rupakus caused many problems for the previous owners of the Longbranch with their Licenses and also with the Rules he pushed against the same bar, while standing outside the bar to get citations against them for after hours violations. This was a well known fact by people of the community. It was also noted that there have been rumors of Rupakus running for Village President in the next election. Wouldn't that be perfect....then he could run the village from behind the bar.............Just a thought, being the village has been run from the bar meetings for the past several years....
We'll see soon enough.......
Friday, May 21, 2010
May 2010
It seems the Elmwood Village Board is again having trouble getting their minutes published in a timely manner. To this point I have been watching the Elmwood Argus for the April minutes and I have yet to see anything put to print.
UPDATE: 5-21-10
I picked up this weeks paper dated 5-19-10 and the minutes are actually printed. Now the May meeting happened Monday night, so they are plenty late getting this done. It is a little hard for anyone to respond to what is written at a meeting, when the posting is done after the following months meeting.
It was stated by another citizen that Bill Stewart made comments that the money he receives for being the Village President is far from what it should be for all he does. In my opinion this is a statement by an over paid individual, being that every person that is voted into the Village Board should be doing it, without any pay. They put their names into the balloting to serve the Village and make things better for the community, not to get a check. I have always believed that every member should give their time to the community without taking the funds, for the much needed programs within the Village. To me, this shows GREED, as well as a largely swelled head of a Village President. Maybe the budget would not be in trouble every year if the members were not dipping into it themselves. In the minutes Bill claims it was good to see so many people at the meeting, yet most were there with complaints.
I have many times done many things for people without asking for any pay, and the "Thank You" you get is plenty enough.
It was also stated that the Village President was attempting to make a big story about how they should promote themselves for the food pantry getting funds from the citizens of the community. There was nothing said about the Village Board donating a single penny, but Mr. Stewart was pushing that a story should really be written up about this to talk up the Board. A member of the board pointed this out to the Herald reporter, stating the Argus should really write an article up. The Herald reporter responded by telling the member they could do that, but she was not with the Argus.
It was also told to me that Mr. Rupakus took it upon himself to go after a citizen that had a verbal agreement with the Village President in regards to a fence he put up, that appears to be too high. The landscaping of the property was going to be completed throughout the summer and he spoke directly to the Village President to keep from any problems with the fence before all the work was completed. This did not matter to Rupakus apparently, because he had the Village Clerk send a Violation of Ordinances letter to the Citizen. This is just one of many personal targets that happen when no one communicates with one another, or just has a simple grudge against an individual. Maybe it was simply because a friend of Mr. Rupakus had a problem with the fence without having any knowledge with the agreement that had already been made.
Hopefully things will start to get a little better now that "Polaris" Bob is no longer on the Village Board....OOOPS, he is no longer "POLARIS" Bob either now I am told. I have been told that he is purchasing the Longbranch bar in Elmwood now. This will be interesting to see if he follows every rule he was enforcing against the bars while being the head of the Police Committee. He sat outside the bar until closing then walked in with the Village Officer to write citations for being open after hours. Many believed he was simply setting up the bar owner of the Longbranch at that time, because their was conflicts between he and the owner. The other two bars in town were not watched like this one was.
I will keep in touch with community members to get as much information as possible to keep updating the blog, so keep watching and Thank You for continuing to read The Elmwood Citizen.
Seeing the minutes finally in print, I can see the Clerk is covering some butt already. A citizen went into the meeting and told the Board how he thought they were doing such a good job, and called those who complained to or about the board "Nothing but a bunch of Jerry Springer Want a Be's"
Donna Lein and Delorse Radtke also spoke over the mess they live next to, yet they did not tell how they were eye witnessed on the property taking items that did not belong to them. The Elmwood Police Officer did not follow up with any kind of investigation either with this complaint, even though he was contacted and told there was an eye witness to this. Jodell Marson was also viewed with them on the property.Her husband John once again took a chainsaw to his neighbors shrub line and cut them to the ground, even though he did this once before and a survey was forced to be done, proving they were not his to touch at all. Much of the mess and damages to the property have happened since the residents left. Everything the trio complained about while the residents lived there is now destroyed. "Funny how that seems to have happened" Even the Business sign that hung in the front yard disappeared, and was found later floating in the River down by the school. This is a block in the community many want to stay away from, and the new people that move in, need to get informed quickly about.
The Board of Review was not able to be done as needed, due to the Village did not get the assessments done on time.
The Board also went into a closed session meeting to speak over the fee's in regards to the lawsuit with the Leader Telegram. They made sure not to state the actual costs to the public for their actions with refusing to release public information over the Jodi Pulk suspension, they claimed was only a resignation over stress. ( all a story made up by Bob Rupakus. This was finally told after the paper filed the suit.) It is said this went over $4,000.00 . This will probably never be known how much they actually cost the citizens of Elmwood. This is alot like the case with Ex-Chief Adam Meyers. Reading the minutes, I find the Member of the Board that caused the problem was the person making all the motions to pay for the damages he caused. REAL NICE
UPDATE: 5-21-10
I picked up this weeks paper dated 5-19-10 and the minutes are actually printed. Now the May meeting happened Monday night, so they are plenty late getting this done. It is a little hard for anyone to respond to what is written at a meeting, when the posting is done after the following months meeting.
It was stated by another citizen that Bill Stewart made comments that the money he receives for being the Village President is far from what it should be for all he does. In my opinion this is a statement by an over paid individual, being that every person that is voted into the Village Board should be doing it, without any pay. They put their names into the balloting to serve the Village and make things better for the community, not to get a check. I have always believed that every member should give their time to the community without taking the funds, for the much needed programs within the Village. To me, this shows GREED, as well as a largely swelled head of a Village President. Maybe the budget would not be in trouble every year if the members were not dipping into it themselves. In the minutes Bill claims it was good to see so many people at the meeting, yet most were there with complaints.
I have many times done many things for people without asking for any pay, and the "Thank You" you get is plenty enough.
It was also stated that the Village President was attempting to make a big story about how they should promote themselves for the food pantry getting funds from the citizens of the community. There was nothing said about the Village Board donating a single penny, but Mr. Stewart was pushing that a story should really be written up about this to talk up the Board. A member of the board pointed this out to the Herald reporter, stating the Argus should really write an article up. The Herald reporter responded by telling the member they could do that, but she was not with the Argus.
It was also told to me that Mr. Rupakus took it upon himself to go after a citizen that had a verbal agreement with the Village President in regards to a fence he put up, that appears to be too high. The landscaping of the property was going to be completed throughout the summer and he spoke directly to the Village President to keep from any problems with the fence before all the work was completed. This did not matter to Rupakus apparently, because he had the Village Clerk send a Violation of Ordinances letter to the Citizen. This is just one of many personal targets that happen when no one communicates with one another, or just has a simple grudge against an individual. Maybe it was simply because a friend of Mr. Rupakus had a problem with the fence without having any knowledge with the agreement that had already been made.
Hopefully things will start to get a little better now that "Polaris" Bob is no longer on the Village Board....OOOPS, he is no longer "POLARIS" Bob either now I am told. I have been told that he is purchasing the Longbranch bar in Elmwood now. This will be interesting to see if he follows every rule he was enforcing against the bars while being the head of the Police Committee. He sat outside the bar until closing then walked in with the Village Officer to write citations for being open after hours. Many believed he was simply setting up the bar owner of the Longbranch at that time, because their was conflicts between he and the owner. The other two bars in town were not watched like this one was.
I will keep in touch with community members to get as much information as possible to keep updating the blog, so keep watching and Thank You for continuing to read The Elmwood Citizen.
Seeing the minutes finally in print, I can see the Clerk is covering some butt already. A citizen went into the meeting and told the Board how he thought they were doing such a good job, and called those who complained to or about the board "Nothing but a bunch of Jerry Springer Want a Be's"
Donna Lein and Delorse Radtke also spoke over the mess they live next to, yet they did not tell how they were eye witnessed on the property taking items that did not belong to them. The Elmwood Police Officer did not follow up with any kind of investigation either with this complaint, even though he was contacted and told there was an eye witness to this. Jodell Marson was also viewed with them on the property.Her husband John once again took a chainsaw to his neighbors shrub line and cut them to the ground, even though he did this once before and a survey was forced to be done, proving they were not his to touch at all. Much of the mess and damages to the property have happened since the residents left. Everything the trio complained about while the residents lived there is now destroyed. "Funny how that seems to have happened" Even the Business sign that hung in the front yard disappeared, and was found later floating in the River down by the school. This is a block in the community many want to stay away from, and the new people that move in, need to get informed quickly about.
The Board of Review was not able to be done as needed, due to the Village did not get the assessments done on time.
The Board also went into a closed session meeting to speak over the fee's in regards to the lawsuit with the Leader Telegram. They made sure not to state the actual costs to the public for their actions with refusing to release public information over the Jodi Pulk suspension, they claimed was only a resignation over stress. ( all a story made up by Bob Rupakus. This was finally told after the paper filed the suit.) It is said this went over $4,000.00 . This will probably never be known how much they actually cost the citizens of Elmwood. This is alot like the case with Ex-Chief Adam Meyers. Reading the minutes, I find the Member of the Board that caused the problem was the person making all the motions to pay for the damages he caused. REAL NICE
Sunday, April 18, 2010
New Pierce County Judge
Congratulations to Our new Pierce County Judge, JOE BOLES
It was a very good thing to see the people of Pierce County spoke out on who they wanted and trusted to become our next county judge.
The votes made it clear that all the money that was spent by candidate Robert Loberg did no good. You can't buy your way into becoming a Judge in this county, Thank God.
Again, Great Job Joe Boles on becoming the new Judge.........
It was a very good thing to see the people of Pierce County spoke out on who they wanted and trusted to become our next county judge.
The votes made it clear that all the money that was spent by candidate Robert Loberg did no good. You can't buy your way into becoming a Judge in this county, Thank God.
Again, Great Job Joe Boles on becoming the new Judge.........
Monday, March 22, 2010
"Truth, and what it is Worth"
Reading through the Feb. Board minutes, I find that the truth has been altered once again.
Matt Marose spoke to the board and stated the village alleys had not all been taken care of, just to get told by the President that there has been vacations causing this, yet when speaking to Mr. Marose, he states that he directly was spoken to by the Village Worker and told that they have changed the way they take care of things, after he tried jumping Mr. Marose’s throat for allegations told to him by the Village President. Instead of this being a simple question to answer, the President turned it into a complaint about the workers, to the workers. Nice Job Bill Stewart. (Mr. President) Mr. Marose then asked how many people applied for the position of Clerk, to be told 40. This again is not believable, because I asked Stewart the morning of the meetings, and he told me 30, in front of the Village Clerk and her help.
Robert Rupakus then told the Board that Rick Stohr was interested in being a write in candidate for Village Trustee. Is this his personal pick, being he is not re-running this year. It seems to me that Mr. Stohr should have done this himself, not have a board member speak for him. But this is common to happen in Elmwood, Right Board Members? Those who are chosen by the board usually go on to the positions, as it has been documented for years by my involvement. Public Records requests that have been denied to me several times. OH, but you all know about violating the open records laws now, RIGHT?
The Approval of the new Clerk came up, and the one individual that should have never spoke, Rupakus was the one to tell the Board how they should continue. Why would he have any say ion the matter, when his wife was involved?
I also noticed that the Board Committee used Greg Nelson in their interview process while in Closed Session. This is not proper for the laws of closed session meetings. Only the Committee members and possible other board members are allowed in these meetings.
Again after the Closed Session meeting during the board meeting, the board was to decide the clerks position, and guess who, Rupakus was the one to make the motion to hire the new clerk.
In Early March then it was learnt that the Eau Claire Leader Telegram had filed a Lawsuit against the Village Board for Violating the Open Records Laws of WI, by refusing to provide the information in regards to the past Village Clerks Suspension that was reported to only be a Resignation due to Stress, due to my family and the past Chief. This was known to be LIES to begin with, being Rupakus was the provider of the Information as Head of the Personnel Committee. He has been the head of many controversies in the Village including the termination of the past Chief, in which Rupakus was the Head of the Police Committee at the time. The resignation was filed on Dec. 28th, 2009. The Suspension happened Dec. 18th, 2009. That was never spoke of, until the Elmwood Argus received the information after Rupakus explained that happened in the Jan. Village Board Meeting. The Village refused to provide the information to the Paper, as did Village Attorney Robert Loberg
Matt Marose requested Public Records pertaining to the Budget, and he was told the computers were not working, and the clerk wanted his phone number. When he told her that the number was unpublished and he would simply return for the information, that was not good enough. Robert Rupakus, head of the Finance Committee called him that same evening and began threatening Mr. Marose. This was documented by a Police Report to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Dept. Somehow this board member was able to get a non published number, then call and harass a citizen for wanting the information. Mr. Marose never did receive this information.
On March 10, 2010 the Pierce County Herald wrote an article in regards to the information, but chose to leave Robert Loberg’s name out of the article all together. (It is my belief that the Herald will not write anything about Loberg, being he is also the County Family Court Commissioner, and they have been advertising his candidacy for County Judge heavily in the papers and Online. He has had direct involvement in these violations of the Citizens Rights in Elmwood. If you watched the paper, you will notice how much more money Loberg spent in his campaign in the attempt to attract the peoples attention. He spent double his opponent, yet received less votes. He claims to be law abiding and the perfect choice for Judge, yet he has shown me many times, he cares less for the rights of people. Money talks to and for him.
Again the Leader Telegram wrote another article, explaining how they received information from the Village Board and Robert Rupakus. Now it has become that Jodi Pulk was stealing from the Village and doing all kinds of bad things. This all coming from Rupakus mind you. Accusations going back to 2006, yet the Village Board used the Village Attorney Robert Loberg to file a false Restraining Order against me, claiming harassment of this person. Then again when I was assaulted by Robert Rupakus in the Street, they again used Robert Loberg to file a reverse Order when I filed one for the ASSAULT. Loberg went to the County DA, and the two of them manipulated the laws for Rupakus, taking away my Victim Rights for the ASSAULT. Yes, Loberg respects the law, my BUTT. He violates every law he can get away with. He even created a Policy against my family taking away our rights to equal protection by law enforcement. This was created Jan. 2006, and was one of the reasons for Chief Meyers loss of his job. He did not follow the POLICY, as they directed him to. He was verbally threatened in the event he was to ignore there directives.
Again, by the Head of the Police Committee. In the article , Rupakus stated he felt it was the right thing to do, releasing the information on Pulk, yet he was the one refusing the records to the Leader, when he gave them a false Story to begin with. It was later found out, by a direct statement from Pulk, that Rupakus was the creator of the Resignation cause, telling her to was her best way of dealing with the trouble she was in. This continues to prove he likes to lie, as he did when he assaulted me, claiming he never touched me, and my kids planted red substances on the ground to look like blood. The Police Report proves all of this, and when he filed his order against me, all the TRUTH came out, with more continuous lies added of course. The Papers really need to investigate the entire Board for violations, especially Rupakus, when he has headed all the problems when they came about, always being the head of the committee with the problem. He goes to every Board Meeting claiming knowledge that everything is just fine, the records are correct, and all looks good. This is NOT the truth now is it, as to his own claims now. It seems that the Board never even gave Pulk the list of Accusations, yet they had it ready for the Leader after the suit was filed against them. CONVENIENT…
The Accusations listed seem to be really convenient now, stating things that they could not have proven, unless she admitted to it, such as destroying an application, who seen her do this? She gave herself a check, that she proved she should have received, yet this is claimed to be the final straw. She was suppose to get it, who was not paying her for her reimbursement then? Trustee Rupakus was responsible for verifying the records, and claimed they were always ok, why now is that False. I believe his hands are just as dirty, if not more. Village President Stewart should also be responsible for the actions that happen under his watch, I believe. The Elmwood Village Board loves to take target on people, and use any one they can for the scapegoat when problems arise, this is a proven fact, that I have documented for years. That’s why they continuously attacked my family and I. They began with the direct statement that they would get my family and business out of the community within three years, back in 2004. This is on audio tape, and anyone can listen to it, if they would like to.
Now the March Village Board Meeting has been written up by the Pierce County Paper, and more of the Village non-sense is heard. Matt Marose questioned the Board and the blame went to Village Attorney Robert Loberg advising them that this was a law that is ambiguous (Confusing). This is a regular word for them to violate the laws. They have a different opinion when interpreting the laws, Their own !!!
Stewart then claimed that no one contacted them about the records, yet the requests where denied by the Village Office, and their Attorney Office.
There is plenty more coming Elmwood Citizens, and you really need to stand up against the LIARS you have in place. The Attorney is just as bad, and has no place to be in the Courthouse as a Judge. I hope the Leader brings out much more information about Elmwood Board Members, and all they have done in the past. I will for sure, DO MY PART.
Remember, April 6, 2010
VOTE-------Rick Talford
Thank You readers !!!
Keep watching for updates, I am kept informed, even though I am not right there now.
UPDATE 3-26-10
The Sun-Argus released an article this week in regards to the ongoing issue of the Village Board's actions with Jodi Pulk. Now Rupakus claims that they thought about Criminal Charges against Pulk. He states that she finally caused the TRUST factor to disappear. He goes on to state that Pulk, decided to resign instead of being fired, yet he does not state, this was his direct statement to her to do, Claim stress as reason. He adds that they did not want to hurt Pulk's reputation, so he gave her the excuse to use about my family and the ex-chief to do damage to their reputations instead. He also stated that the resignation was made in Open Session, yet the minutes show that the resignation was made in Closed Session, and voted on during the Open Session. He also claims that the Board was not able to react to the filing of the suit , due to it happened between meetings, yet they could have called an emergency meeting, as they have many times before to get resolution. They just refused to do so. Rupakus then claims that the members are not able to check in the office to deal with everything on a regular basis, yet they are seen downtown daily at the Bars for sure. Rupakus himself was seen at the office on a regular basis, and the other members could stop in easily if they kept decent hrs. for the Village Office.
The Pierce County Herald wrote up a Correction in regrads to Sari Gordon's article. Mr. Marose asked the board why they violated the Open Records Laws, and Rupakus gave a story on how they felt this was all confidential, by their feelings and Village Attorney Robert Loberg.
3-31-10 Clerk's Minutes printed in the Elmwood Argus Update
It has now been stated by the Village Clerk, through the Board Minutes, that indeed Village Attorney and Judge Candidate for Pierce County Robert Loberg was involved by telling the Village Board not to give the Eau Claire Leader the information they requested through the Open Records Laws of Wisconsin. Robert Rupakus gave this statement when questioned why the Village would violate the laws, during Public Input.
It was noted also that the Village has sold Lot #6 in the Industrial Park to Russel Gere for an Automotive Repair Business that will be started once Building has completed.
Spring Clean-up is coming, and Bruce Hartung commented that everyone should be getting rid of those un licensed vehicles as well as tearing down old buildings. (This should be directed to the high and mighty of the community) thery are the biggest violator of the ordinance, as reported in the past. just because they are demo cars, does not mean they are ok, they are un-licensed.
School Forest Property and Village Property Exchange may happen in the future, with the School having 7 acres of land they would exchange with the Village for 5 acres of land the Village has. The Forest property by the school and the land near the old dump site are the areas of thought.
Eau Claire Leader Telegram pending lawsuit- Now Village President says the Leader should have to pay for the records as everyone else does. (Maybe when they first requested the records. The Village should give them over without charge, being a suit had to be filed to get them to respond the right way. This shows just how professional and respectful they and Attorney Robert Loberg are! They think that the Leader will drop everything and pay them all they want, Don't Believe that Myself..The Leader should continue their actions against the Village and make them an example for the rest of the State to not violate their Laws!!! This is exactly how the village has reacted to citizen's requesting information in the past, so it is very nice to see that someone has stepped it up against them.)
Payment of Bills- once controlled by Rupakus and always spoken about by him as well. This is an area the citizen's need to get alot more involved with, asking for budget statements, as well as reviewing the open records that go along with them. Maybe if there are more people looking into the spending of the Village Board and Employee's, there won't be the problems that have happened. This is a must for the community to reboand from the issues they face now. Do not believe them that Jodi Pulk was the only person involved in teh missing funds they are claiming now. I have been stating the feeling that this was happening along time ago, and it can't possibly be just the Clerk. The Head of the Committee needs to be investigated for sure, and even the Village President should be held responsible by the Citizens.
Matt Marose spoke to the board and stated the village alleys had not all been taken care of, just to get told by the President that there has been vacations causing this, yet when speaking to Mr. Marose, he states that he directly was spoken to by the Village Worker and told that they have changed the way they take care of things, after he tried jumping Mr. Marose’s throat for allegations told to him by the Village President. Instead of this being a simple question to answer, the President turned it into a complaint about the workers, to the workers. Nice Job Bill Stewart. (Mr. President) Mr. Marose then asked how many people applied for the position of Clerk, to be told 40. This again is not believable, because I asked Stewart the morning of the meetings, and he told me 30, in front of the Village Clerk and her help.
Robert Rupakus then told the Board that Rick Stohr was interested in being a write in candidate for Village Trustee. Is this his personal pick, being he is not re-running this year. It seems to me that Mr. Stohr should have done this himself, not have a board member speak for him. But this is common to happen in Elmwood, Right Board Members? Those who are chosen by the board usually go on to the positions, as it has been documented for years by my involvement. Public Records requests that have been denied to me several times. OH, but you all know about violating the open records laws now, RIGHT?
The Approval of the new Clerk came up, and the one individual that should have never spoke, Rupakus was the one to tell the Board how they should continue. Why would he have any say ion the matter, when his wife was involved?
I also noticed that the Board Committee used Greg Nelson in their interview process while in Closed Session. This is not proper for the laws of closed session meetings. Only the Committee members and possible other board members are allowed in these meetings.
Again after the Closed Session meeting during the board meeting, the board was to decide the clerks position, and guess who, Rupakus was the one to make the motion to hire the new clerk.
In Early March then it was learnt that the Eau Claire Leader Telegram had filed a Lawsuit against the Village Board for Violating the Open Records Laws of WI, by refusing to provide the information in regards to the past Village Clerks Suspension that was reported to only be a Resignation due to Stress, due to my family and the past Chief. This was known to be LIES to begin with, being Rupakus was the provider of the Information as Head of the Personnel Committee. He has been the head of many controversies in the Village including the termination of the past Chief, in which Rupakus was the Head of the Police Committee at the time. The resignation was filed on Dec. 28th, 2009. The Suspension happened Dec. 18th, 2009. That was never spoke of, until the Elmwood Argus received the information after Rupakus explained that happened in the Jan. Village Board Meeting. The Village refused to provide the information to the Paper, as did Village Attorney Robert Loberg
Matt Marose requested Public Records pertaining to the Budget, and he was told the computers were not working, and the clerk wanted his phone number. When he told her that the number was unpublished and he would simply return for the information, that was not good enough. Robert Rupakus, head of the Finance Committee called him that same evening and began threatening Mr. Marose. This was documented by a Police Report to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Dept. Somehow this board member was able to get a non published number, then call and harass a citizen for wanting the information. Mr. Marose never did receive this information.
On March 10, 2010 the Pierce County Herald wrote an article in regards to the information, but chose to leave Robert Loberg’s name out of the article all together. (It is my belief that the Herald will not write anything about Loberg, being he is also the County Family Court Commissioner, and they have been advertising his candidacy for County Judge heavily in the papers and Online. He has had direct involvement in these violations of the Citizens Rights in Elmwood. If you watched the paper, you will notice how much more money Loberg spent in his campaign in the attempt to attract the peoples attention. He spent double his opponent, yet received less votes. He claims to be law abiding and the perfect choice for Judge, yet he has shown me many times, he cares less for the rights of people. Money talks to and for him.
Again the Leader Telegram wrote another article, explaining how they received information from the Village Board and Robert Rupakus. Now it has become that Jodi Pulk was stealing from the Village and doing all kinds of bad things. This all coming from Rupakus mind you. Accusations going back to 2006, yet the Village Board used the Village Attorney Robert Loberg to file a false Restraining Order against me, claiming harassment of this person. Then again when I was assaulted by Robert Rupakus in the Street, they again used Robert Loberg to file a reverse Order when I filed one for the ASSAULT. Loberg went to the County DA, and the two of them manipulated the laws for Rupakus, taking away my Victim Rights for the ASSAULT. Yes, Loberg respects the law, my BUTT. He violates every law he can get away with. He even created a Policy against my family taking away our rights to equal protection by law enforcement. This was created Jan. 2006, and was one of the reasons for Chief Meyers loss of his job. He did not follow the POLICY, as they directed him to. He was verbally threatened in the event he was to ignore there directives.
Again, by the Head of the Police Committee. In the article , Rupakus stated he felt it was the right thing to do, releasing the information on Pulk, yet he was the one refusing the records to the Leader, when he gave them a false Story to begin with. It was later found out, by a direct statement from Pulk, that Rupakus was the creator of the Resignation cause, telling her to was her best way of dealing with the trouble she was in. This continues to prove he likes to lie, as he did when he assaulted me, claiming he never touched me, and my kids planted red substances on the ground to look like blood. The Police Report proves all of this, and when he filed his order against me, all the TRUTH came out, with more continuous lies added of course. The Papers really need to investigate the entire Board for violations, especially Rupakus, when he has headed all the problems when they came about, always being the head of the committee with the problem. He goes to every Board Meeting claiming knowledge that everything is just fine, the records are correct, and all looks good. This is NOT the truth now is it, as to his own claims now. It seems that the Board never even gave Pulk the list of Accusations, yet they had it ready for the Leader after the suit was filed against them. CONVENIENT…
The Accusations listed seem to be really convenient now, stating things that they could not have proven, unless she admitted to it, such as destroying an application, who seen her do this? She gave herself a check, that she proved she should have received, yet this is claimed to be the final straw. She was suppose to get it, who was not paying her for her reimbursement then? Trustee Rupakus was responsible for verifying the records, and claimed they were always ok, why now is that False. I believe his hands are just as dirty, if not more. Village President Stewart should also be responsible for the actions that happen under his watch, I believe. The Elmwood Village Board loves to take target on people, and use any one they can for the scapegoat when problems arise, this is a proven fact, that I have documented for years. That’s why they continuously attacked my family and I. They began with the direct statement that they would get my family and business out of the community within three years, back in 2004. This is on audio tape, and anyone can listen to it, if they would like to.
Now the March Village Board Meeting has been written up by the Pierce County Paper, and more of the Village non-sense is heard. Matt Marose questioned the Board and the blame went to Village Attorney Robert Loberg advising them that this was a law that is ambiguous (Confusing). This is a regular word for them to violate the laws. They have a different opinion when interpreting the laws, Their own !!!
Stewart then claimed that no one contacted them about the records, yet the requests where denied by the Village Office, and their Attorney Office.
There is plenty more coming Elmwood Citizens, and you really need to stand up against the LIARS you have in place. The Attorney is just as bad, and has no place to be in the Courthouse as a Judge. I hope the Leader brings out much more information about Elmwood Board Members, and all they have done in the past. I will for sure, DO MY PART.
Remember, April 6, 2010
VOTE-------Rick Talford
Thank You readers !!!
Keep watching for updates, I am kept informed, even though I am not right there now.
UPDATE 3-26-10
The Sun-Argus released an article this week in regards to the ongoing issue of the Village Board's actions with Jodi Pulk. Now Rupakus claims that they thought about Criminal Charges against Pulk. He states that she finally caused the TRUST factor to disappear. He goes on to state that Pulk, decided to resign instead of being fired, yet he does not state, this was his direct statement to her to do, Claim stress as reason. He adds that they did not want to hurt Pulk's reputation, so he gave her the excuse to use about my family and the ex-chief to do damage to their reputations instead. He also stated that the resignation was made in Open Session, yet the minutes show that the resignation was made in Closed Session, and voted on during the Open Session. He also claims that the Board was not able to react to the filing of the suit , due to it happened between meetings, yet they could have called an emergency meeting, as they have many times before to get resolution. They just refused to do so. Rupakus then claims that the members are not able to check in the office to deal with everything on a regular basis, yet they are seen downtown daily at the Bars for sure. Rupakus himself was seen at the office on a regular basis, and the other members could stop in easily if they kept decent hrs. for the Village Office.
The Pierce County Herald wrote up a Correction in regrads to Sari Gordon's article. Mr. Marose asked the board why they violated the Open Records Laws, and Rupakus gave a story on how they felt this was all confidential, by their feelings and Village Attorney Robert Loberg.
3-31-10 Clerk's Minutes printed in the Elmwood Argus Update
It has now been stated by the Village Clerk, through the Board Minutes, that indeed Village Attorney and Judge Candidate for Pierce County Robert Loberg was involved by telling the Village Board not to give the Eau Claire Leader the information they requested through the Open Records Laws of Wisconsin. Robert Rupakus gave this statement when questioned why the Village would violate the laws, during Public Input.
It was noted also that the Village has sold Lot #6 in the Industrial Park to Russel Gere for an Automotive Repair Business that will be started once Building has completed.
Spring Clean-up is coming, and Bruce Hartung commented that everyone should be getting rid of those un licensed vehicles as well as tearing down old buildings. (This should be directed to the high and mighty of the community) thery are the biggest violator of the ordinance, as reported in the past. just because they are demo cars, does not mean they are ok, they are un-licensed.
School Forest Property and Village Property Exchange may happen in the future, with the School having 7 acres of land they would exchange with the Village for 5 acres of land the Village has. The Forest property by the school and the land near the old dump site are the areas of thought.
Eau Claire Leader Telegram pending lawsuit- Now Village President says the Leader should have to pay for the records as everyone else does. (Maybe when they first requested the records. The Village should give them over without charge, being a suit had to be filed to get them to respond the right way. This shows just how professional and respectful they and Attorney Robert Loberg are! They think that the Leader will drop everything and pay them all they want, Don't Believe that Myself..The Leader should continue their actions against the Village and make them an example for the rest of the State to not violate their Laws!!! This is exactly how the village has reacted to citizen's requesting information in the past, so it is very nice to see that someone has stepped it up against them.)
Payment of Bills- once controlled by Rupakus and always spoken about by him as well. This is an area the citizen's need to get alot more involved with, asking for budget statements, as well as reviewing the open records that go along with them. Maybe if there are more people looking into the spending of the Village Board and Employee's, there won't be the problems that have happened. This is a must for the community to reboand from the issues they face now. Do not believe them that Jodi Pulk was the only person involved in teh missing funds they are claiming now. I have been stating the feeling that this was happening along time ago, and it can't possibly be just the Clerk. The Head of the Committee needs to be investigated for sure, and even the Village President should be held responsible by the Citizens.
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