KFIZ News Monday 8/8/16

Viability Of Restaurant In Lakeside Park

Fond du Lac Public Works Director Jordan Skiff says they will take a long hard look at the possibility of a restaurant in a new pavilion at Lakeside Park before it becomes a possibility. He says if it were to happen the restaurateur would have to lease space. He says a long-term lease would have to be in place before the new pavilion is built. He says the City would own the building, but the restaurant would put in the equipment and the City’s role would be relatively limited. Skiff says they are working with the Fond du Lac Economic Development Corporation to get market analysis done on the feasibility of a restaurant at a new pavilion in the park and whether it could support itself.

Retlaw Owners Donate Furnshings To Habitat

Habitat for Humanity of Fond du Lac County and its ReStore recently got a huge donation of furnishing from the owners of the Retlaw Hotel. Habitat Executive Director Tom Wilhelms says the furnishings came out of over 100 rooms at the hotel. He says it was a very generous donation that will help them raise money to build homes for families in the community. Those furnishings ranged from dressers and beds to couches and bar stools and many other items. Frantz Community Investors owns the hotel and is planning to do a renovation in several phases with projected costs of $20 million.

FDL School Board Considers Hiring Two New Principals

The Fond du Lac School Board will consider hiring two new principals tonight. District staff is recommending Marisa Lombardo as an Assistant Principal at the High School and Amy Kuntsman as the Assistant Principal at Theisen Middle School. Lombardo is currently a Spanish Teacher at the High School and Kuntsman a music teacher at Chegwin Elementary School. The Board meets at 5 p.m. at the District Administration Center Board Room on West 9th Street.

Grothman Supports Trump On Immigration

Congressman Glenn Grothman says immigration and keeping illegal immigrants out is one of the key issues in the Presidential campaign. He says Presidential administrations over the past quarter century haven’t done a good job enforcing immigration laws. He says he’s heard testimony during Congressional hearings about the frustration of border patrols and horrific crimes committed by illegal immigrants. He says the country can’t count on immigrants fitting in well into the American culture. Grothman says if Hillary Clinton is elected President we will have open borders. He says if Donald Trump is elected our borders will be enforced and we will pick the immigrants allowed in the country.

Ready To Vote

Fond du Lac County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says there will be a few things you will need to know when you vote in Tuesday’s primary election. She says you will need a photo ID if you have one. She says you can use a driver’s license, State ID, passport, and veteran’s ID. She says election equipment was recently tested and everything should be ready to go. She also reminds voters that it is a primary election, which means you can only vote one-party. Both the Register of Deeds and County Treasurer’s races will be decided during the primary with all those candidates running as Republicans.

WisconsinEye Launchs Free Video Player For Election Coverage

WisconsinEye has launched a free video player providing extensive coverage of Wisconsin legislative races. The Campaign 2016 video player contains an array of campaign events and interviews at the state and federal levels. Viewers will also have access to hundreds of in-depth interviews with candidates for the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly, in both the primary and general elections. Programming can be watched on the video player available at wiseye.org through January of 2017.

NFDL Village Board Considers Pay For Fire And Police Positions

The North Fond du Lac Village Board recently discussed pay for a couple positions in the police and fire departments. Village Administrator Chuck Hornung says they are considering making the fire chief’s job a part-time job, but right now they have a deputy chief. He says they do have a candidate that has been stepping up a little bit. Meanwhile they will give Deputy Chief Jake Flaherty a little more pay. He says they will increase his stipend through the end of the year. He says the Police Department is also considering an investigator position and the Board is discussing the pay scale for that. He says ultimately any hiring or promotions have to be approved by the Police and Fire Commission.

Cookie Daze Without Cookie Maker

Are Cookie Daze numbered in Ripon? The 21st annual celebration was held in Ripon Saturday. ConAgra closed its plant last year and Treehouse Foods will be closing their cookie making facility in the final months of this year. Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jason Mansmith says they weren’t sure they would have cookies for Cookie Daze this past weekend. He says they don’t for sure until a month or two ago, but had another plan in place if they had to get cookies elsewhere. He says they made arrangements just in case so they could continue and may have to do something similar for the traditional event to go forward.