One block of Perry Street now one-way for school traffic
Marquette Road phase 2 pushed back again to 2018, still no word on Regal Marina
By Correne Martin
One block of Perry Street, between Beaumont Road and Prairie Street, will become one-way, from east to west, this week. The Prairie du Chien Common Council approved the change Tuesday night, upon a request from Holy Family Parish.
For the construction project at Prairie Catholic School, a new entrance was built along Perry Street where parents will drop off and pick up their children.
“We feel one-way traffic would make everything a little bit safer for the kids,” Father James Weighner told the council.
When asked if he’d spoken with the three homeowners on Perry Street about the reason for the parish’s request, Weighner said he’d been able to contact two of the three and believed their comments were positive.
Police Chief Chad Abram was asked his opinion. He said his officers “try to patrol in the morning” there and at the other schools in town, as it’s a “very busy” time of day. He added that anytime a change involves making conditions safer for children, he’s typically in favor of it.
A number of petitions opposing the change were entered into the public record at the meeting. Also, adjacent property owner Eileen Hermsen shared her displeasure with the change. She said Prairie Catholic students regularly cross Beaumont Road to get to St. Gabriel’s church and parking lot, and she didn’t understand why drop-off and pick-up times should be any different.
After the discussion, the council voted to approve the one-way change, with Karen Solomon, Ron Leys and Todd Myers opposed.
Other business
•City Attorney Lara Czajkowski-Higgins informed the council she has not heard back from Regal Marina’s attorney regarding a proposed new lease or the city’s offer to discuss financing for improvements to the marina. Kramer said the marina operators have received an extension from the state until mid-October to comply with state-ordered repairs.
•City Administrator Aaron Kramer informed the council that Marquette Road construction, phase 2, has been delayed, once again, to the first part of 2018. As a result, the North Michigan project will likely be scheduled for July/August 2018.
•The municipal airport terminal project will begin Wednesday, Aug. 24.
•A water rate increase application was approved by the council. The application will be submitted Sept. 30 to the public service commission (PSC) to increase water rates 3 percent for general service.The state does not require a public hearing for rate increases of this nature, according to Kramer. If the PSC approves, the increase will go into effect Dec. 1. Water Department Director Larry Gates explained the various improvements the city has made to its water system, including pumping 10 million gallons less per month than this time last year, in an effort to explain the financial need.
•The city’s tax increment financing (TIF) district #2 was closed earlier this year, with remaining cash to be disbursed as follows: Prairie du Chien Area School District ($95,091), city of Prairie du Chien ($74,671), Crawford County ($67,930) and Southwest Tech ($15,585). When the TIF district was created in 1989, it had a base value of $70,300. Today, it has $3.674 million in taxable property, meaning about $3.6 million will be placed on the tax rolls for 2017.
•Approval was given for a berm to be constructed east of Universal Forest Products, to provide a noise buffer and a visual screen for future development. There is about 10,000 cubic yards of excess material expected from the city’s flood mitigation project scheduled to begin next week. The estimated cost, $35,297.60, would be divided between the flood mitigation project and TIF District #5.
•Upgrades to the exterior walls of Hoffman Hall, mainly on the north side, were approved. The cost of the project is no more than $20,800, with funds coming from the 2014-2016 capital fund.
