Local News Briefs Wednesday 2/18/15

The Fond du Lac Historical Preservation Commission will begin discussions on whether the bowstring truss bridge or Fountain Island Bridge in Lakeside Park is worthy of historical designation. Historic Preservation Commission Chairperson Lisa Pauly says if the bridge qualifies it would be for its architectural significance. She says she started the process after hearing it might be replaced or repaired. She says it was first thought it had been relocated from Scott Street to Lakeside Park, but sometime about 50 years after it was made it was moved from its original location in Fond du Lac. She says it’s not surprising the bridge does not accommodate the equipment the public works department uses for some maintenance on the island. She says built around 1870 the bridge was made for the traffic of the day, which at the time was mostly foot traffic and equestrian traffic such as horse or horse and buggy. The Commission’s meeting is at 6 p.m. in Rooms D and E of the City County Government Center.

FDL Baseball President Disappointed With School Board Decision

The Fond du Lac Baseball, Inc Board of Director will meet tonight to consider what to do next after the Fond du Lac School District withdrew its lease offer in negotiations over the Woodworth Baseball complex. Fond du Lac Baseball President Dr. Tim Twohig says they were disappointed to hear the school board’s decision. He says they couldn’t have lived with the two-year lease the district offered anyway. He says they have a couple of options the board will discuss. He says they could remove the improvements they made to fields or they could give in to the school district and let them run the whole program. Dr. Twohig says he was a little optimistic when he heard the school board was holding a special meeting about the lease hoping they would be given more time to negotiate. The lease between the district and Fond du Lac Baseball ends February 25th.

Decision On Year Round School Offering At RB Schools Delayed For Budget Reasons

Rosendale-Brandon Schools Superintendent Gary Hansen says the school board’s opting to put a decision on hold about offering a year-round school program had more to do with state funding. Hansen says they did talk about survey results about a year round program at the board’s meeting, but it was also the first time the board has met since the Governor released the state budget proposal. He says it appears the school district’s state funding will be cut by $360,000 over the two-year period. He says the board decided it just wasn’t the time to consider adding a new program. He says it would have cost about $125,000 to hire two new teachers out of the three that would have been needed for the year round option. Hansen says it may be a couple years before the board revisits the idea.

Senator Johnson On Federal Court Decision Regarding Executive Overreach

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson commented on a federal district court ruling against President Obama’s executive overreach. The federal lawmaker from Oshkosh says, “The federal district court ruling and temporary injunction against President Obama’s executive amnesty once again shows that the president has exceeded his legal and constitutional authority.   The states bringing this lawsuit, which include Wisconsin, are right to be concerned about the costs that will be imposed on their taxpayers by these illegal executive actions.” Johnson says as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee he called a recent hearing on executive amnesty.  He says the committee raised a number of other serious issues, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ inability to effectively administer the actions, the resulting harmful effect on legal immigrants, and the issuance of Social Security numbers to people who entered this country illegally, allowing them to access a variety of financial benefits. 

Senator Gudex On Bonding

State Senator Rick Gudex says he’d prefer finding a better way to pay for the state’s transportation projects that using bonding. The majority of the $1.5 billion Governor Walker has proposed for bonding would be used for transportation funding. The state lawmaker from Fond du Lac says maybe it is less bonding that the last state budget used, but it’s still not right. He says last November state residents passed a resolution with an 80 percent majority vote to prevent further raids of the state transportation fund. He says that’s because people wanted to use the funding for transportation projects even if it meant increasing ways of funding it. Gudex says we need to start looking for ways to increase the transportation fund even if it takes more than one state budget period. He says possible options include toll roads, charging for miles driven, and increasing the vehicle registration fee or gas tax.

Local Legislator Involved In Red Tape Review

(Wisconsin Radio Network)-During a press conference at the State Capitol Tuesday, State Representative Joan Ballweg of Markesan gestured at the 18 volumes of state administrative code. She says there are 1,786 chapters of administrative code almost twice as much code as the state has statutes. Assembly Republicans announced their ‘Red Tape Review’ initiative, which under the name ‘Right the Rules’ reviewed 20 percent of the code, and repealed or revised 25 percent of that. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says, just like last session, Assembly committees will play a role. State administrative code governs a wide variety of activities by business and government. The 18 volumes of state administrative code contain more than 11,000 pages.

Space Heater Reminders

With wind chill factors plummeting well below zero overnight the Division Chief of Fire Prevention for Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue reminds residents to be careful about how they use space heaters. Troy Haase says to keep a few things in mind such as plugging them directly into a wall, keep them away from combustibles, uses one that shut off if they tip over, and keep kids and pets away from them. He also says they should never be left unattended and should be shut off when you go to bed.

No Citation In Mayville Piggly Wiggly Accident

Mayville Police say a 92-year-old Horicon man who struck nine vehicles in the Mayville Piggly Wiggly parking lot last Friday won’t be cited. They say the man panicked when his foot stuck on the accelerator and he lost control of his vehicle. Two of the vehicles he struck were occupied. Nobody was injured.

To see video click here. 

Arts Reception Part Of Exhibit At UW FDL

The UW-Fond du Lac will host an artist reception in conjunction with Tour the Town Art Walk, from 4-7 p.m. this Friday, in the University Center Commons. The community is invited to meet artist John Pahlas who is exhibiting his salvaged steel sculptures at the reception. The exhibit can be viewed in the Visual Arts Gallery (Room A-125) and the Oberreich Gallery in the University Center Commons through February 27th.  Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. The reception and the exhibit are free and open to the community. Light refreshments will be available.