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Port TIF plan paves way for replacing road with walkway |
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Written by Kristyn Halbig Ziehm
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 19:47 |
 Tax district would finance unique downtown project, spark development efforts
Port Washington officials on Tuesday gave the green light to creating a downtown financing district that would pave the way for a number of city projects, including a unique plan to turn a downtown street into a pedestrian way lined with greenery.
The tax incremental financing district is designed to finance revitalization efforts and innovative projects such as a conversion of Harborview Lane.
That project, which was proposed last fall and endorsed by the Board of Public Works and the Port Washington Main Street Program, calls for closing the seldom used, two-block street between the foot of the Light Station steps and the north slip marina.
In its place, the city would create a 37-foot-wide green belt bisected by a pedestrian and bike trail that connects the downtown, lakefront and the Light Station.
The intersections on Harborview Lane, however, would be untouched, allowing traffic on Jackson, Pier and Washington streets to cross the walk.
The plan, which is expected to cost between $30,000 and $40,000 and could be done this summer, is seen by city officials as a way to meet the need for more green space in the central shopping district and to lead tourists and residents between the historic Light Station, the marina and downtown. |
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Farmer ordered to pay for cattle he stole from neighbor |
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Written by Bill Schanen IV
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 19:43 |
Dahm must pay restitution in cattle rustling case, but sentence doesn’t end feud between rural Belgium landowners
A Town of Belgium farmer who stole two of his neighbor’s black Angus cows and had them slaughtered has been fined $500 and ordered to pay for the animals.
But Monday’s sentencing of Dennis W. Dahm, 50, did little to settle the feud between him and Peter Demopoulos, whose cows wound up in the hands of Dahm and eventually at a Milwaukee slaughterhouse in April.
Dahm’s lawyer, Edward Ritger, made it clear at Monday’s hearing that his client was not about to drop his civil lawsuit against Demopoulos, filed four months after the criminal case against Dahm, alleging that Demopoulos’ cattle have fed off and destroyed Dahm’s crops for six years.
“There’s a saying in farm country, ‘Good fences make good neighbors,’” Ritger said. “But his (Demopoulos’) cows getting loose has been a chronic problem in the neighborhood.”
Demopoulos’ lawyers called Dahm’s lawsuit “a joke” and have filed a counterclaim seeking more money from Dahm for the cows he stole and had slaughtered.
“This is not a feud of Mr. Demopoulos’ making, and for him (Dahm) to bring this lawsuit is an absolute joke,” Christopher Hale said.
Another of Demopoulos’ attorneys, Blake Olson, said, “All Mr. Demopoulos wants is to be left alone.”
After a lengthy dispute about the value of the two Angus cows, who Demopoulos said were bred, or pregnant, Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Tom Wolfgram accepted Demopoulos’ estimate and ordered Dahm to pay $1,200 per animal. The total amount of restitution Dahm has to pay is $1,418, which is the value of the two animals minus $982 the slaughterhouse paid for the cows.
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Soldier still haunted by shooting |
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Written by Kristyn Halbig Ziehm
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Wednesday, 03 February 2010 19:36 |
Wounded at Fort Hood, Amber Bahr returns to a hero’s welcome in Random Lake but says she’s not a hero, just a soldier living with physical and emotional scarsAmber Bahr, the 20-year-old soldier from Random Lake whose efforts to save others even after she was shot during the Nov. 5 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, garnered acclaim from President Barack Obama, came home to a hero’s welcome on Sunday.
At the airport, she was met by 38 Patriot Guard Riders, all holding flags, and Blue Star Mothers, as well as a musician playing patriotic songs on his bugle.
At home, firefighters drove her on a fire truck for a mini-parade through the village to a celebration at Globe Lanes.
“It was overwhelming,” Bahr said. “I knew there were going to be a few people there. I didn’t know the whole town was going to be there. It was crazy.
“It made my heart feel really full toknow that people cared.” It’s not often a national hero comes from a small town like Random Lake, so it’s natural that the community would turn out to welcome Bahr, who tended to wounded soldiers during the shooting without realizing she had been shot.
But Bahr said she’s not a hero, just a soldier who did her job and looked after her battle buddies.
“I still don’t feel like I deserve all the praise I’m getting, all the attention I’m getting,” she said. “I don’t think I’m a hero. I just did what I was trained to do.” |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 03 February 2010 19:57 |
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